CDC study: half of all hot tubs violate health codes.(Newsroom)(Operators)(United States. Centers for Disease Control And Prevention)

More than half the commercial spas in a recently released study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control suffer from chemical, mechanical and maintenance health-code infractions.

"We need to do a better job of taking care of the spas in this country," said Michael Beach, Ph.D., the CDC's researcher on the study.

The Atlanta-based CDC gathered information on 5,209 commercial spa inspections occurring between May and September 2002 in six areas: Florida and Wyoming; the counties of Los Angeles (Calif.) and Allegheny (Pa.); and the cities of St. Paul and St. Louis (Minn.). These areas were chosen because they keep computerized records, which are easy to compile. From the data, the CDC determined the number and nature of the infractions.

According to the data, inspectors found at least one problem on 56.8 percent of their visits, with a total of 5,378 violations documented. Eleven percent of the inspections resulted in the immediate closure of spas. The highest number of closures occurred in campgrounds and hotel/motel spas.

Roughly half the violations (50.7 percent) were related to water chemistry. The rate of incorrect pH levels ranged from 14.1 to 162 percent in each location.

Circulation-system violations accounted for 32.2 percent of the total. And policy/management violations comprised 17.1 percent.

The data weren't kind to spa operators: Approximately 23 percent lacked the required training and nearly 13 percent of operators practiced inadequate record-keeping.