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A study in the June issue of Pediatrics describes finding a link between indoor swimming in chlorinated pools and lung changes that may predispose a child to the development of asthma and recurrent bronchitis. The findings may indicate that the airways of infants and children could be altered when they are exposed to high levels of chlorine and/or to long chlorine exposure times, predisposing the children to disease.
The study was based on a survey of 341 children aged 10–13 and their parents. The children and parents were asked about whether the children:
Blood tests were taken from the children to measure markers of respiratory health.
Startling Results
The results showed that compared to the children who hadn't been in indoor swimming pools as infants, the 43 children who had regularly been in indoor swimming pools as infants were almost four times as likely to experience chest tightness, and 50 percent more likely to report wheezing. They also had more than twice the risk of experiencing shortness of breath.
The findings also showed that being exposed to cigarette smoke alone did not seem to increase a child's risk for asthma, but when it was coupled with indoor swimming, the risk of developing lung problems later in childhood was even higher than the risk associated with only swimming pool time.
Caution about Chlorine
The study's author, Alfred Bernard, the research director of the National Fund for Scientific Research in Belgium, stressed that parents and swimming pool managers should be aware that chlorine-based pool disinfectants can be used safely only if their levels are maintained in the optimal range — the range that allows the chlorine to minimize infections among swimmers without increasing the risk of toxicity.
He added, "If [swimming] is a regular activity, I can only recommend parents don't take their baby in poorly managed pools where water and air contain excessive levels of chlorine. Such pools can be identified by the very strong chlorine smell in the air or at their surface, as well as by the irritating effects on the eyes or upper respiratory tract that one may feel after swimming. If it is [your] own pool, parents should avoid over-chlorinating the water."
(Source: washingtonpost.com)
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