As you know I eschew the fear mongering that accompanies many scientific studies, but I recently read one that possesses a logic so hard to ignore that I  am compelled to bring it to your attention.  The April 2007 European Respiratory Journal (Vol 29, No. 4, pp.690-698) found that people who spend a great deal of time near chlorinated pools face an increased risk of breathing problems.  As a teacher for twenty years I have noticed a steady increase in the number of children prone to allergies, asthma and respiratory irritations.  The Journal article gives us some things to think about we prepare swimming pools for summer activities.

The analysis states that chlorine reacts with urine and sweat to create chemicals called chloramines that irritate the respiratory tract. A research team surveyed more than 600 swimming pool employees and measured levels of trichloramine, the most volatile type of chloramine, at 38 swimming pools.

Swimming instructors were more than twice as likely to suffer frequently from sinusitis or sore throat, and more than three times as likely to have chronic colds, than pool workers with less trichloramine exposure, such as catering employees or receptionists.

Compared to the general population, employees with high levels of exposure were at a 40 percent greater risk for tightness of the chest, and were over 700 percent more likely to suffer breathlessness while walking.  Swimming in a public pool for one hour exposes a person to more chlorine than over a week of drinking filtered water.  It is for this reason that many avoid using pools at hotels and motels. 

Alternative Solution.
Chlorine in swimming pools serves a valuable purpose in keeping the water clean, but there is an alternative to consider for backyard pools: ozone generators.  A residential pool ozone generator produces oxidation reactions several thousand times faster than those of chlorine for the destruction of bacteria, mold, and mildew, eliminates spores, yeast, and fungus, inactivates viruses and cysts, destroys water contaminants and oils, is not irritating to the eyes or skin, has no chemical odor or taste, and significantly reduces levels of harsh chemicals such as chlorine.  It’s worth a thought.