Swimming pool chlorine linked to children's asthma
The chemical used to maintain indoor swimming pools may be contributing to asthma in boys, according to a new study.
The culprit is chlorine, used to keep pools clean, and the way it reacts with sweat and urine to create harmful fumes. The research was carried out by Cork Maternity Hospital and involved a group of 121 schoolboys aged six to 12 years from Cork city. It looked for symptoms such as wheezing, night-time coughing, and asthma history.
More that a quarter of the boys had experienced wheezing and one in 10 had the problem in the last 12 months. Almost one in seven (13.4pc) had a cough during the night. Around one eighth of the group had diagnosed asthma (12.4pc) and one in nine boys experienced exercise-induced wheeze. The boys had attended chlorinated swimming pools for an average of five years and went there on a weekly basis.
"Until the relationship between respiratory health and chlorination of swimming pools is investigated further and accurate information is available, every effort should be made to improve pool ventilation," the report said.
The problem appears to be due to a variety of chlorine products which are used by swimming pools, ranging from sodium or calcium hypochlorite to dichloroisocyanurate and chlorine gas.
When organic matter is introduced into chlorinated water -- such as urine or sweat -- a harmful mixture of by-products are created. The chlorine reacts with the organics and produces nitrogen trichloride, aldehydes, halogenated hydrocarbons, chloroform, trihalomethanes and chloramines.
Of all the chlorine by-products present, the most volatile and concentrated in the pool air is nitrogen trichloride. This is a documented irritant and is known to cause eye and upper respiratory tract irritation in lifeguards, as well as acute lung injury in occupational accidents.
Swimming is still an excellent way to keep fit for people with non-allergic asthma as it helps increase lung capacity.
- If swimming makes a child's asthma worse always ensure that they use their reliever (blue) inhaler immediately before they warm up.
- Always start your session with warm-up exercises.
- Try to avoid the things that trigger their asthma before swimming.
- Ensure that the child always has their reliever inhaler with them by the pool.
- If they have asthma symptoms when they are swimming, ensure they stop, take their reliever inhaler and wait five minutes or until they feel better before starting again.
- Always end with a cool-down.
