In this article, we will be discussing the growing body of evidence suggesting that the common swimming pool could be cause of many health issues in our communities. We will look at the chemicals that have been under particular scrutiny and finally we will discuss solutions to the problem.

Researchers world-wide are discovering that the chlorine in swimming pools may be detrimental to our health. Both chlorinated and salt water pools contain chlorine. Chlorine is added in liquid, powder or tablet form to chlorinated pools and is produced by the salt-water chlorinator in salt water pools. So regardless of your swimming pool filters, you are still swimming in a chlorinated pool.

Chlorine itself is a deadly poison but is not the major focus of studies. When chlorinated water comes in contact with organic matter (such as hair, skin, oils) a new molecular structure called an organochloride is formed. One of the primary organochlorides found in swimming pools is a chemical called trihalomethane (THM). Trihalomethane is a known carcinogine (cancer causing agent).

One of the major concerns with THM is that it is found not only in the pool but in the air around the pool. This is a problem (especially for indoor pools) as the THM is abundant in the air and is entering our respiratory pathways freely. THM in the system can cause cancer and can also aggravate asthma in sufferers. Recent studies of a group of competitive swimmers (who are not asthma sufferers) have found significant scarring on their lungs due to amount of time they spend in a pool.

Younger swimmers are particularly at the greatest risk from the dangers as current mass market swimming pool filters are just not capable of removing the trihalomethanes and other dangerous chemicals from the water let alone the air. The younger a swimmer, the more likely they are to not only breathe in the vapors but actually swallow significant amounts of the pool water, thereby putting the chemicals in a much higher concentration directly into their blood stream. Blood tests performed of younger swimmers has shown an increase of THMs in the bloodstream.

Considering the amount of swimming pools and young people using them, this is an issue that should alarm any parent. By far the safest option is to find a pool that does not chlorinate their water and does not use salt water pools. These pools are not easy to find but do exist. Instead of using standard swimming pool filters, these pools use a pool sanitiser to treat the water through a sanitisation system. This method keeps the water free of harmful chemicals and removes all bacteria. The water in a pool with this sort of system is "fresh water" and can even be used on plants, given to pets to drink or can even be safely drunk by humans.