Table 2. Water and sand exposures reported among beachgoers, stratified by study enrollment month, at Woodbine Beach, Toronto, 2022.
| Exposure | N (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | July | August | Total | |
| Water contact | 106 (39.1) | 152 (57.4) | 209 (70.8) | 467 (56.2) |
| Swimming | 65 (24.0) | 122 (46.0) | 180 (61.0) | 367 (44.2) |
| Wading (below one’s waist) | 43 (15.9) | 85 (32.1) | 92 (31.2) | 220 (26.5) |
| Paddleboarding | 6 (2.2) | 5 (1.9) | 2 (0.7) | 13 (1.6) |
| Other water sportsa | 4 (1.5) | 1 (0.4) | 2 (0.7) | 7 (0.8) |
| Other minimal contact activitiesb | 6 (2.2) | 3 (1.1) | 2 (0.7) | 11 (1.3) |
| Face contact with water | 28 (10.3) | 68 (25.7) | 90 (30.5) | 186 (22.4) |
| Swallowing water | 15 (5.5) | 29 (10.9) | 50 (16.9) | 94 (11.3) |
| Sand contactc | 168 (62.0) | 171 (64.5) | 127 (43.1) | 466 (56.1) |
| Digging in the sand | 159 (58.7) | 125 (47.2) | 122 (41.4) | 406 (48.9) |
| Burying oneself in the sand | 45 (16.6) | 77 (29.1) | 13 (4.4) | 135 (16.2) |
| Sand in mouth | 52 (29.2) | 30 (16.8) | 25 (19.7) | 107 (22.1) |
a Other water sports included kitesurfing (N = 3), diving (N = 2), surfing (N = 1), and waterskiing (N = 1).
b Other minimal contact activities included kayaking (N = 4), boating (N = 3), fishing (N = 2), sailing and canoeing (N = 1 each).
c We defined sand contact as digging in the sand or burying oneself in the sand.