Dr. Mercola April 10 2007 37,492 views
Swimming teachers, and others who spend time near chlorinated pools, face an increased risk of breathing problems.
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.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Summer is around the corner for most of us, which means that soon many will be jumping in the pool regularly.
I've warned you in the past about staying away from swimming pools due to the unsafe amount of chlorine found in most public water systems. Trichloramine levels can be as much as three times higher than normal at poolside.
In addition to the problems mentioned in the linked study, chloramines also leach lead and copper into the water supply. Lead in water has been linked to kidney damage, miscarriages, nervous system damage, anemia, high blood pressure, brain damage and reproductive difficulties, as well as learning and behavioral problems in children. Long-term exposure to high levels of copper can cause liver damage, kidney damage, headaches, stomach problems and dizziness, among others.
Chloramines can also create byproducts, such as N-nitrosodimethylamine, which is a human carcinogen. Some research links chloramines to bladder cancer.
Please remember that your body absorbs more chlorine swimming in a public pool in one hour than drinking unfiltered tap water for a week.
This is one of the primary reasons why I typically avoid hotel or resort pools -- they are loaded with chlorine. Last year I purchased a home and inherited a swimming pool so finding a practical alternative became a recent practical challenge.
After carefully evaluating the options I elected to install an ozone generator as the way to keep the water clean. This radically reduced the amount of chlorine use and seems to have been working quite nicely for the few weeks that I have had the pool operating.
So if you have a pool that is something you might want to consider.
Related Articles:
The Dirty Little Secret Behind the Chlorine in Your Water Chlorine in Swimming Pools Poses Risk of Spontaneous Abortions Drinking, Bathing or Swimming in Chlorinated Water May Increase Your Risk of Bladder Cancer
The Dirty Little Secret Behind the Chlorine in Your Water
Chlorine in Swimming Pools Poses Risk of Spontaneous Abortions
Drinking, Bathing or Swimming in Chlorinated Water May Increase Your Risk of Bladder Cancer
Wikipedia - Chloramine
Uses in water treatment
NH2Cl is commonly used in low concentrations as a disinfectant in municipal water systems as an alternative to chlorination. This application is increasing. Chlorine (sometimes referred to as Free Chlorine) is being displaced by chloramine, which is much more stable and does not dissipate from the water before it reaches consumers…Furthermore, water treated with chloramine lacks the distinct chlorine odour of the gaseous treatment and so has improved taste.
Chloramine in tap water gives a greenish cast to the water in bulk, versus the normally bluish cast to pure water or water containing only free chlorine disinfectant. This greenish color may be observed by filling a white polyethylene bucket with chloraminated tap water and comparing it to chloramine-free water such as distilled water...
Situations where NH2Cl should be removed
Aquarium owners must remove the chloramine from their tap water because it is toxic to fish. Aging the water for a few days removes chlorine but not the more stable chloramine, which can be neutralised using products available at pet stores.
Many animals are sensitive to chloramine and it must be removed from water given to many animals in zoos.
Chloramine must also be removed from the water prior to use in kidney dialysis machines, as it would come in contact with the bloodstream across a permeable membrane. However, since chloramine is neutralized by the digestive process, kidney dialysis patients can still safely drink chloramine-treated water.
Chloramine, unlike chlorine, cannot be removed by boiling.
In swimming pools, chloramines are formed by the reaction of free chlorine with organic substances. The lower the concentration of chloramines the better, because chloramines, compared to free chlorine, are both less effective as a sanitizer and more irritating to the eyes of swimmers. When swimmers complain of eye irritation from "too much chlorine" in a pool, the problem is typically a high level of chloramines, caused by too little chlorine in relation to the amount of organic matter. Pool test kits designed for use by homeowners are sensitive to both free chlorine and chloramines, which can be misleading.