I started swimming workouts at a new indoor pool recently. They use a different type of chlorine/disinfectant system (the water tastes a bit salty), and I don't know how much ventilation they have. I've developed a cough at the end of each workout. And after working out yesterday evening, my lungs HURT a lot when I woke up this morning (they felt like they did on smoggy days in Southern California when I was a kid). I haven't had this problem at any other pool I've swum in--indoor and outdoor.
Have any other folks here heard of or experienced lung pain/injury and coughing being caused by indoor pool air or particular types of chlorine? Thanks.
Parents
Former Member
Okay pool chemistry 101:
Laineybug - you are right about the ammonia forming a white cloud if chlorine gas is present. In regards to ozone it is a supplemental system - as far as I know no pool in the US is totally sanitized by ozone. We have an ozone system for our pools but still use chlorine. The simple reason is you don't want ozone in your swimming pool where people can be exposed to it (You think chlorine is bad) so the ozone is injected into the pool water in your mechanical room, where it is highly reactive towards anything bad in your water and then anything left is filtered out before the pool water is returned to your pool. We keep a small amount of chlorine in the pool to disenfect the pool water rather than waiting for the pool water to be circulated into the mechanical room (if a child peed in the pool, the chlorine would take care of it, instead of water for the contaminated water to be circulated to the ozone system). The good thing about ozone is it also takes care of the chloramines (sometimes called combined chlorine) - this is what chlorine becomes when it reacts with something, it is the chloramines that you smell,burns your eyes, etc. not chlorine which is odorless. Other disenfectants that are used, bromine as mentioned also iodine and ionization of salts. The other thing than can also cause problems which is overlooked is the water pH to low of a pH and yopur water is acidic (this happens when gas chlorine is used, so something usually caustic soda which has a high pH is added to counter this) to high of a pH and your water becomes a base or caustic (liquid and most dry chlorine cause this) so some kind of acid is added - we use CO2 gas (ie carbonated water). Ideally a pools pH should be between 7.2 and 7.6 any lower than 7.0 or higher than 7.8 can cause skin irritations.
Pool ventalation is important - when chlorine reacts with something it creates a gas - this gas if not ventilated will build up and is an irritant (chloramines) - which as you know irritates the eyes well it will also irritate other membranes in the body (lung, throat etc.). What to do about ventilation - talk to someone experienced in HVAC systems there are guidelines in regards to air turnover rate (how long it takes the ventilating system to theoretically move the amount of air contained in a building - I believe in Oregon we have a 4 to 6 hour turnover rate by code, but not positive).
Jeff
Okay pool chemistry 101:
Laineybug - you are right about the ammonia forming a white cloud if chlorine gas is present. In regards to ozone it is a supplemental system - as far as I know no pool in the US is totally sanitized by ozone. We have an ozone system for our pools but still use chlorine. The simple reason is you don't want ozone in your swimming pool where people can be exposed to it (You think chlorine is bad) so the ozone is injected into the pool water in your mechanical room, where it is highly reactive towards anything bad in your water and then anything left is filtered out before the pool water is returned to your pool. We keep a small amount of chlorine in the pool to disenfect the pool water rather than waiting for the pool water to be circulated into the mechanical room (if a child peed in the pool, the chlorine would take care of it, instead of water for the contaminated water to be circulated to the ozone system). The good thing about ozone is it also takes care of the chloramines (sometimes called combined chlorine) - this is what chlorine becomes when it reacts with something, it is the chloramines that you smell,burns your eyes, etc. not chlorine which is odorless. Other disenfectants that are used, bromine as mentioned also iodine and ionization of salts. The other thing than can also cause problems which is overlooked is the water pH to low of a pH and yopur water is acidic (this happens when gas chlorine is used, so something usually caustic soda which has a high pH is added to counter this) to high of a pH and your water becomes a base or caustic (liquid and most dry chlorine cause this) so some kind of acid is added - we use CO2 gas (ie carbonated water). Ideally a pools pH should be between 7.2 and 7.6 any lower than 7.0 or higher than 7.8 can cause skin irritations.
Pool ventalation is important - when chlorine reacts with something it creates a gas - this gas if not ventilated will build up and is an irritant (chloramines) - which as you know irritates the eyes well it will also irritate other membranes in the body (lung, throat etc.). What to do about ventilation - talk to someone experienced in HVAC systems there are guidelines in regards to air turnover rate (how long it takes the ventilating system to theoretically move the amount of air contained in a building - I believe in Oregon we have a 4 to 6 hour turnover rate by code, but not positive).
Jeff
