Pool Chlorine Increases Risk of Asthma and Allergies
The study compared chlorine pools with a healthier and more eco-friendly option, pools sanitized with copper and silver. Researchers suggest that the chlorine causes changes in the airway, promoting the development of allergic diseases. While more research is still needed, 20% of Olympic swimmers have asthma. Interesting, right?
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And this isn’t the first study linking an increased asthma risk with pool chlorine. Healthy Child Healthy World (HCHW) rounded up the previous research, which includes a 2006 Belgian study that suggests frequent child swimmers have an increased asthma risk similar regular smokers. And another study that exposed a knowledge gap regarding the chemicals, like chlorine, that can evaporate into our air from liquid form and how that affects our health.
So what can you do? Swimming is a great activity for kids, so there’s no reason to cut it out all together. If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your neighborhood that uses an alternative treatment option like ozone, salt water or copper, go for it. If not, HCHW suggests limiting indoor pool time, look for pools with strict pre-bathing rules, learn about your pool facility’s ventilation system and try to swim when the pool isn’t packed.
Image: Sebdanon via stock.xchng
The new study by Bernard et al. should be evaluated carefully along with other data on pools and respiratory health.
• A 2008 scientific review of 25 relevant studies (Goodman and Hays, 2008) on swimming and asthma suggests that a correlation between swimming pools and childhood asthma does not exist.
• An international group of experts (Weisel, et al., 2009) reached a similar conclusion and highlighted that important data gaps need to be filled, before determining whether an association exists. These data gaps are not addressed by the Bernard study.
Proper disinfection including chlorination is essential to healthy pools, helping to control germs that can cause diarrhea, ear infections and skin rashes. Its important to note that none of the “alternatives” mentioned in the article replaces chlorine. Ozone and copper must be used in conjunction with chlorine. Salt water pools actually generate chlorine, so the resulting chemistry is the same.
Swimmers can do their part to keep a pool healthy by showering before swimming and by not urinating in the pool.
I hope this is helpful – please feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Jeff Sloan
American Chemistry Council
Questions surrounding the role of pool chemicals and their tie to asthma surface periodically. Attention to this issue is particularly important since physicians typically recommend a warm environment with good humidity as helpful to patients with asthma or other lung conditions. The question is not limited to chlorine, as the author suggests, but instead any of the cleansing agents that might be used in a pool, including bromine. Any of these agents have the ability to result in irritation to the pulmonary system and skin when not treated with the correct respect. The truths about pool chemicals must be accurately presented. Several facts include:
• The chemicals listed as suggestions (ozone, salt water, and copper) still require the use of chlorine, which remains the backbone of infectious disease prevention. Even a full UV system has to have a low concentration of chlorine. Salt water is unique, since it forms its own chlorine.
• Control of any gas and its byproducts requires excellent ventilation to control levels of gases. The ideal balance of pool chemicals results in a facility without the characteristic “chemical smell”.
• Air temperature should be in the range of two degrees above that of the water in indoor facilities where that control is possible.
• As humidity rises, the ventilation needs to increase since the moisture holds chemicals in suspension longer. Indeed, sophisticated air handling systems have the ability to control the humidity in the building.
• A significant percentage of the byproducts found in the air result from the pool chemicals reacting to byproducts from the swimmers. Reduce this by requiring the swimmers to shower prior to entry into the pool and exercise proper hygiene (i.e. not urinating in the pool). Regardless of the system used, byproducts will form in these settings. The system is working!
No one is advocating for the safety of a poorly balanced pool system, regardless of which chemical/disinfectant system is used. Under the wrong conditions, pulmonary problems can arise as well as skin irritation.
In a balanced aquatic and air handling system, the benefits to all aquatic participants are amazing. They include:
• Improvement in athlete aerobic and anaerobic fitness
• Improvement in athlete lung capacity, which can specifically aid the asthmatic as a positive benefit
• Generalized aerobic benefits to include an enhanced immune system, improved cardiac fitness, increase in HDL (good) cholesterol, weight control, improved stress management
The aquatic sports have amazing benefits to the health of athletes of all ages, but like anything else, the quality of the environment does matter. USA Swimming has studied indoor air quality extensively for years to improve the aquatic experience and performance of athletes at all levels of expertise. It is difficult to find a more positive and healthy environment than a pool. It is critical that pool operators address the water and air quality in a unified/integrated fashion.
Aquatic fitness is just one more way for us to enhance the health of our children. It is critical for us to move positively, as we face an epidemic of obesity and loss of aerobic fitness and the resultant health consequences.
Jim Miller, MD
National Team Physician, USA Swimming
Chair, Asthma Task Force, USA Swimming