Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408170075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Larry E. LeGrande, 29, was pronounced dead at 2 p.m., a hospital spokeswoman said.
She would not elaborate on the cause of LeGrande's death.
His heart stopped twice as rescue workers tried to revive him after he had slipped beneath the surface of the water in a whirlpool at New Fitness health club near Crossroads Mall.
New Fitness management did not return telephone calls from the newspaper Tuesday afternoon. They also had declined comment Monday.
Witnesses told authorities that LeGrande had been going back and forth between the club's steam room and whirlpool in an effort to lose weight.
Rescue workers said LeGrande had been in the whirlpool about three minutes before he was discovered bobbing beneath the surface of the water.
He had no pulse when rescue workers arrived, and his lungs were full of water. Rescue workers using a suction pump were able to clear his lungs and injected a stimulant to get his heart and lungs working again.
Some club patrons said Le-Grande stayed in the steam room for as long as half an hour before getting into the whirlpool. The club has signs warning patrons to limit their stay in the steam room to five minutes or less.
Nick Holmes, an athletic trainer who works with an orthopedic surgeon at Lewis-Gale Clinic at Valley View Mall, said people should spend no more than 20 minutes of combined time in a whirlpool and steam bath.
Both drain essential fluids from the body and could cause dehydration, which could lead to excessive drowsiness, nausea or even fainting.
Holmes said whirlpools should be kept at between 100 and 104 degrees to prevent scalding. He said users should drink plenty of liquids to keep from getting dehydrated.
Shelli Martin, manager of Cal Spas of Virginia, said many health clubs pump whirlpool temperatures up to nearly 110 degrees in hopes of combating bacteria and keeping patrons moving out of the whirlpools.
The temperature of the whirlpool Monday at New Fitness wasn't known.
No official inquiry is currently scheduled into LeGrande's death.
The state Health Department routinely inspects health club whirlpools, said Bill Shires, the department's environmental health manager. Those inspections are limited to assessing the pH and chlorine content of the water.
The National Spa and Pool Institute, based in Alexandria, has established guidelines for the safe use of spas.
It recommends a maximum temperature of 104 degrees in accordance with a study by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Carvin Digiovanni, the institute's technical director.
"High water temperatures can elevate your body temperature and the temperature of your internal organs beyond safe limits," the group reports. "It's almost like having a fever."
The institute said supervision is key to safe enjoyment of a whirlpool.
"One individual must assume primary responsibility for supervising the spa or hot tub," the institute recommends.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB