exposure to dirty condoms

[mr panic]

Hi something really gross happened to me today and I am freaking out. I am a pool man and I was cleaning a pool at a vacant hone today and it looked cloudy like it had no chlorine in it so I gave it a dose and went to clean the skimmer. When I put my hand in it it instantly starting burning and when I pulled it out there was a bunch of dirty condoms in it. Because it is monday these could be less than 24 hours old. My main concern is I have a bunch of open sores on my hands caused by dryness and exposure to chlorine everyday. As soon as I realized these were condoms I pored straight chlorine on my hands and let it burn. My question is what kind of diseases can i contract from this happening? I have already made arrangements to have boold taken tomorrow please let me know if I am over reacting or actually at risk? Thanks

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Relax.  The risk of STD transmission is too low to measure.  HIV and other STDs don't survive outside the body, even when kept moist.  But even if contaminated with HIV or other STDs, exposure by skin contact--even with irritated skin--is very low risk.  I don't recommend HIV testing.  But if you remain nervous, check with your local health department and see what they have to say.  In any case, if you get tested at all, you need to wait several weeks; there is no point in testing tomorrow.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[Englishman]

I would say zero chance of an STD. If you get anything the "Guiness Book of World Records" will have a new entry. Maybe some risk of non-STDs though.

[nsns]

Chlorine absolutly kills everything, HIV included, I was an EMT and when we had to clean up the ambulince when it had blood in it, good old Chlorine was what we used! You are definitly not at risk for anything!

Good luck and don't stress.....

[mr panic]

Thank you It's just hard there is so much stuff going around you never know

[yoy]

These condoms have been sitting in water for a good long time.  I would doubt that the bacteria/virus would remain intact in sufficient fashion to allow transmission.  The good doc here will tell you you can't get STD's from hand to genital contact, so I doubt you would get anything from hand to pool water either.  The chlorine would kill everything I suspect, but you may now start having some irrritation on your hands.  Don't let that make your already worried mind think you got an STD.