Livescience.com has published an article that outlines the dangers of disinfectants in pools that are linked with increased cases of Asthma as well as Cancer.
A small snip of the article:
Chlorine and pee don’t mix
The problem occurs when the sanitizers mix with organic matter.
“All sources of water possess organic matter that comes from decaying leaves, microbes and other dead life forms,” said study researcher Michael Plewa, University of Illinois professor of genetics. “In addition to organic matter and disinfectants, pool waters contain sweat, hair, skin, urine [1 in 5 adults admits peeing in the pool] and consumer products such as cosmetics and sunscreens from swimmers.”
These consumer products are often nitrogen-rich, and when mixed with disinfectants, these products may become chemically modified and converted into more toxic agents.
Long-term exposure to these disinfection byproducts can mutate genes, induce birth defects, accelerate the aging process, cause respiratory ailments, and even induce cancer, according to the researchers. While the new study did not examine actual effects on humans, it suggests such research might be warranted.
A link to the full aticle is here.
It is pleasing to see more research on the impact of pool chemicals on human health.