I am 47years old and have returned to swimming as a fitness choice. I get 3 workouts of 2500yds/week and feel great. I also have an inground pool that my family enjoys in the summer months. My question relates to the long term consequences of chlorine exposure. Do studies exist that show whether swimmers have an increased health risk to cancers? Has anyone looked at pool chlorine exposure as a health risk in any way? The pools I swim in all use chlorine as a sanitizer and I would hate to think my exercise regimen may be doing me more harm than good!
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Former Member
There is a lot of baloney out there about this subject and some of it comes from people who supposedly know the chemistry but do not swim in the water they guard so zealously. Let's get real; chlorine is a poison. It doesn't take long for janitors and lifeguards to figure out that the water can be kept really clear and clean by just adding lots of it to the water. Then they attempt to "cancel it out" by adding a bunch of soda-ash which brings the pH up and looks good on a report. Soda-ash is poisonous too. The net result is flaming eye-balls and super-dry skin. When I swim in our pool, I suffer both. In some other pools, I don't. When I bring this to the attention of management, the attitude seems to be that it is somehow my fault !!! I would like to talk to a CPO who also trains in the pool they manage. Bert
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Former Member
There is a lot of baloney out there about this subject and some of it comes from people who supposedly know the chemistry but do not swim in the water they guard so zealously. Let's get real; chlorine is a poison. It doesn't take long for janitors and lifeguards to figure out that the water can be kept really clear and clean by just adding lots of it to the water. Then they attempt to "cancel it out" by adding a bunch of soda-ash which brings the pH up and looks good on a report. Soda-ash is poisonous too. The net result is flaming eye-balls and super-dry skin. When I swim in our pool, I suffer both. In some other pools, I don't. When I bring this to the attention of management, the attitude seems to be that it is somehow my fault !!! I would like to talk to a CPO who also trains in the pool they manage. Bert
