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!
Parents
Former Member
I actually work with someone who did her graduate work on THMs in treated water (THMs being the byproducts that Philip mentioned). She studied women's blood THM levels and found that they increased significantly after women took showers (but she assures me this does not mean there is any risk associated with showers!!). So water that is more highly chlorinated (like a pool...) will cause greater increases in THM levels in people exposed to it. These levels do drop after a few hours out of the water. But the THMs are there, but no one seems to know at what level they might become a measurable risk for different health effects. It seems that the acute exposure is what might be linked to miscarriages. I'm sure it is less of a risk than say smoking during pregnancy, but it is easy to get paranoid about all of these little risks adding up when you swim and take 2 showers every day... not to mention drink a lot of tap water!
I actually work with someone who did her graduate work on THMs in treated water (THMs being the byproducts that Philip mentioned). She studied women's blood THM levels and found that they increased significantly after women took showers (but she assures me this does not mean there is any risk associated with showers!!). So water that is more highly chlorinated (like a pool...) will cause greater increases in THM levels in people exposed to it. These levels do drop after a few hours out of the water. But the THMs are there, but no one seems to know at what level they might become a measurable risk for different health effects. It seems that the acute exposure is what might be linked to miscarriages. I'm sure it is less of a risk than say smoking during pregnancy, but it is easy to get paranoid about all of these little risks adding up when you swim and take 2 showers every day... not to mention drink a lot of tap water!
