Alergic reaction to chlorine?

Hi Billy, Sorry to hear you had the dreaded inner ear infection. It can be quite painful. Hope it has cleared up for you. As for the nose clip, it was, for me, a matter of practice and breathing coordination. I breath bilaterally orally and this seems to work well for me. I can swim with or w/out the clip but rarely swim w/out the ear plugs as I seem to have an inner ear canal shape that retains water no matter what I do. Here in my part of the world it is RSV season (respiratory syncitial virus) and a recent bout of tracheobronchitis put me out of comission. Hope to be swimming again soon. Stay well. Larry

I agree that it would be highly unusual to be allergic to a commonplace compound like chlorine, but "normal people" don't usually snort chlorinated water (good swimmers may not either, but as I'm not in that category, I can't comment ;)). Chlorine can be an irritant to delicate nasal tissue. Since I got back into the water this fall, I've had recurring sinus infections. I'm sure my cranial physiology is a factor, but I think the chlorine is the proverbial straw for this proverbial camel. Nose plugs, here I come.

I swim in several pools and find I have different reactions to each one. I have a mild nasal irritation in the pool with the highest chlorine level, that ussually clears gradually during the day. (5ppm) One of the other pools, which has the lowest chlorine levels (2.2ppm) gives me the worst problems. As some of the others have mentioned various enviromental agents can cause problems. Seasonal allergies must be considered. Molds and fungus are certainly considerations. A British study from the 80's showed that various dermatophytes live in clorinated water for about 100+ days. A major consideration is the chemical agents used to clean the decks. If detergents or other cleaning agents get in the water , you may be allergic to them or just have a chemical irritation. I swim in a pool that hosted the NCAA last year. Metal cleaner & solutions to cleant the deck and bulkhead where hosed into the pool. I had to take decongestants before and after swimming for 6 weeks. Another considereation is the percentage of swimmers showering before entering the pool and the rate of fresh water added to the pool. It is anybodies guess as to the long term effect of choline on the chemicals we put on ourselves. The bottom line there are a variety of chemicals and organic matter in swimming pools which may cause a chemical irritation or allergic reaction. We are dependent on the pool management to do more than just keep the tests (pH, Chloine, trichloramines.. ) in balance. You options are noseclips, decongestants/antihistamines or a new pool.

Thanks Jeffrey, for that information. I (finally) sought treatment for my "exercise" enduced asthma in the past year. Although, I have always had trouble breathing at the pool, I reused to believe I had a medical problem. Thinking of it as "swimming pool" asthma is a much more appropriate depiction of my malady. As for the sneezing/runny nose during/after workout, swimming floods the sinuses. Shouldn't some nasal discharge be expected? I always sneeze 5-6 times in a row about 15 minutes after finishing a workout. It seems my body knows when I'm done and does this to clear all the yuck away. Based on the other posters similar experiences, it sounds like you have joined the "club". Welcome to the sneezy, runny nose brigade--AKA Master's swimming!

It may be helpful to coat the inside of nostrils with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly before swimming to form a barrier against the chlorine compounds. That's what I do, except I use shea butter instead of petroleum jelly. I used to get a runny nose during and after swimming, but not anymore. I find that this simple treatment also helps my mild hayfever.

I'd like to offer some general observations, not meant as a personal recommendation to anyone in particular and certainly not meant to override what your own clinicians recommend. As mentioned by other posters, chlorine hypersensitivity is not a conventional IgE-mediated allergy. It is a classic irritant to the surfaces of the nose, eyes, skin and lining of the lungs and airways. Many instances of swimming-pool asthma are known, and the mechanism is the strong irritative effect of chlorine and it's daughter chemical chloramine, among other possible family members. Further,acidity above or below the range of pH 7.2 - 7.8 causes direct irritation, too. The poster whose nose ran and sneezed after swimming, esp. backstroke where water entered nostrils abruptly exhibits classic "Nonallergic Rhinitis." It may be helpful to coat the inside of nostrils with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly before swimming to form a barrier against the chlorine compounds. In most cases an oral antihistamine like Claritin will not work. In general prescription steroid nasal sprays like Flonase tend to be very effective at prevention. The newer prescription spray Astelin works within one hour of use and therefore can be used "on demand" rather than daily. Interestingly, it is an antihistamine spray, yet it is very effective for the nonallergic conditions. It's main side effect is drowsiness in a minority of people. Asthma is commonly triggered by swimming pools, usually indoor ones, due to the airborne chlorine compounds. It might be useful to use your quick relief inhaler for prevention and treatment should this happen. You should speak to your own doctor or allergist about this.

Before using petrolium jelly or other lipids in your nose, you should be aware of the possibility of developing lipoid pneumonia from long term usage. I recommend reading the short article by the mayo clinic at www.mayoclinic.com/health/petroleum-jelly/AN00947. Trichloramines and related compounds are know pulmonary irritants. Inhalors may provide symptomatic relief, but you are still subject to the inflamatory effects of the trichloramines. It is an open question if poorly ventilated pools may actually cause asthma and what are the long term effects of swimming in them. Ultimately, it may require improving ventilation and/or increasing fresh air exchange. There is a hypothesis that the trichloramines are produced by the bacteria in the biofilm of the filters. It has been proposed that changeing the filter material from sand to another material will reduce trichloramine production and decrease symptoms.