Swimming Pools, Chlorine and Asthma – What’s The Connection?

mcmilker — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:40:23 +0000

As summer approaches we’re digging out our goggles, inner tubes and various pool toys in expectation of lazy days spent at our local swimming pool. So when I learned that 20% of Olympic swimmers have asthma and the possible culprit is exposure to chlorine, it gave me pause.

The problem isn’t the chlorine, but what chlorine turns into when combined with organics. The organics are contributed by bathers in the pool in the form of sweat, dander, urine and other organics. The chlorine reacts with the organics and produces nitrogen trichloride, aldehydes, halogenated hydrocarbons, chloroform, trihalomethanes and chloramines. If these sound like dangerous chemicals, they are. During the Olympic Games held in Australia, it was reported that more than one-quarter of the American swim team suffered from some degree of asthma.

Since we live in an area that already has high rates of pediatric asthma, due to our proximity to a major worldwide port, I began to worry. My son, who suffered from asthma as a toddler, either outgrew it or ….stopped suffering from it when we moved 15 miles further from the port.

But, could a summer by the pool bring it back?

Green Options » natural swimming pool

Swimming Pools, Chlorine and Asthma – What’s The Connection?