Help with ? about poor air quality in pool - coughing swimmers

I have asthma, and it flares up in pools with very cold air. This is especially a problem in the winter, as pools often leave doors or windowns open, which results in a sort of fog of chlorinated water that everybody inhales along with their air. I don't know if cold air is a problem at your pool, but if this just started this winter, there might be an insulation problem or something similar. -Victoria

Thanks for your replies. Alex- The coach is also a swimmer, and recognizes this as a real issue. He has thought it may be improved by opening the doors to the hallway. Unfortunately, up here in the winter, opening the doors to outside is not an option. My son thinks opening the doors makes it worse. That doesn't make sense, but he's there every night, I'm not. Rob- I will e-mail Jessica, and see if she has any suggestions. Thank you for the idea. Victoria- It does not seem to be a cold problem. Our pool and pool room usually are way too hot. For some reason the heat seems to kick on when the team is in there and it gets blazing hot (88-90 F). (from opening the doors?). If anything it seems worse when it is hot in the pool. And it is worse with lots of thrashing splashing swim team kids (however streamlined and fish-like....)

Like many indoor pools, your YMCA probably has poor air circulation. The chlorine which accumulates in the stagnant air is very irritating when inhaled. Opening the windows helps, but I suspect the "solution" is better building design.

gull80- I suspect you are right. Since I started on this research campaign this morning, I have found several articles discussing asthma/swimming/chlorine/trichloramine levels. All indicating our asthma responses are likely being triggered by thrichorlamine (or other compunds) resulting from organics (dirt, sweat, urine - yuck, etc) in the pool reacing with chlorine and the air not being well ventilated. A study done by Belgian researchers has been quoted by a number of health reports stating that youngsters that regularly swim in indoor pools showed increased signs of asthma. Some scientists refute the generalization of the results. There is also a discussion of the role of chlorine disinfection by- products and chloroform levels representing unacceptable risks to highly exposed populations (competitive swimmers). Hmmm. I don't know if there are indoor air quality standards for trichloramine. I bet we're off the chart, and our 30-yr-old ventilation system is not doing the job.

Deb, I am a mechanical engineer who designs building systems. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a hot topic in the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry these days. You may want to contact an engineering firm in your area - particularly one that does IAQ assessments. This would either find the problem or at least eliminate the HVAC system as the problem. Indoor pools present a unique situation- the humidity levels are high due to the large water surface evaporating continusously. Moisture can cause problems in these types of spaces if there is a poor design or a failure in the system. Also, you should try to determine why the space is kept so warm. If it is at 88-90F, that is way too warm for a workout. The heat is putting extra stress on the swimmers and hindering performance. Good luck.

HI, Check the old thread here or search this site for "Long term health effects"; also search "Heat exchangers". OD

I would suggest you contact Jessica Seaton, the chair of the USMS Sports Medicine Committee, at , sportsmedicine@usms.org . She should be able to provide you information and direction on dealing with this problem.

Scansy's post is probably the most likely answer to troubleshooting your problem. I'm also in the building and design industry, and it sounds like the HVAC system may not be doing it's job. Most every indoor pools is heated and cooled using forced air. If the "return" ducts are inadequately sucking the used air back into the heating and cooling plant, there's going to be collection of stagnant air lingering in the space. It's probably doing it's job per code requirements (meaning that a certain number of cubic feet per minute is moving through the system), but perhaps not enough to get the chlorinated fumes built up by the pool side. Talk to an HVAC engineer in your area as well. That's why the open door trick is working. But then again, the pool maintenance people might be overdosing the water. Do the swim suits have a very short lifespan in terms of losing their original colors? If a brand new suit goes from navy blue to grey in a short time, there may be the culprit. I've also heard that enforcement of the showering rule is a must before entering the pool. It's not just for health code reasons. Any washed off perfumes from deoderants, lotions, and conditioners will form a nice slick ontop of the water. That alone will send some people into coughing fits.

Deb, It's encouraging that you're taking a strong lead on this. I used to train in a pool with a previous club, where the air quality was also poor. The swimmers didn't used to start coughing until we were putting in significant efforts ... sadly, the coach used to think that we were all soft and even thought we were making it up because we were afraid of hard work!!!!! Fortunately, this coach 'moved on' and was replaced by an individual with a more mature approach. The solution? Well, although it was never completely eradicated, the 'later' coach did manage to open a door from the pool that allowed fresh air from outside the building to enter directly into the pool area. Perhaps this might not be feasible at other pools though. This seemed to help (us) a little. Good luck!

Old dog- I checked out the links. Thanks Valhallan- I talked some of our local folks last night. The YMCA has ordered a new air handling unit (I am unlcear as to what exactly this is) and it is supposed to be installed next week. So, the Y is trying to help with the problem. However, a local engineer told me that it probalby won't help, because the return ducts are undersized. There is an over-all renovation going on at the YMCA. Unfortunately a new full-sized pool did not make it in the plans. In the next phase of construction there is to be a small warm water pool put in to accommodate swim lessons and water therapy. Don't get me started on why this was a terrible choice....but....a new air handling system to upgrade the old pool may be part of Phase II. We'll have to follow up on that. Getting people to shower is the rule, but still a problem. Everyone resists it. The water workout ladies (otherwise known as the hairdo ladies) are as much of a problem as the kids. The lifeguards yell at the kids, but not the ladies. They are probably loaded with perfume, etc..