Is Chlorine Ruining Competitive Swimmers’ Lungs?
- Posted on January 12, 2012 at 6:10pm by
Liz Klimas
- Print »
- Email »
Getting the perfect breathing rhythm for competitive swimming is hard enough, but a new study is suggesting that for elite swimmers training hours a day in an indoor pool, the chlorine may be making it even harder.
According to Reuters, a study of competitive swimmers from French and Canadian researchers found that the lung tissue and breathing test results of the swimmers were similar to that of patients with mild asthma. Both swimmers and asthmatics showed evidence of scar tissue in lungs while healthy, non-competitive swimmers did not.
Valérie Bougault at the Lille 2 University of Health and Law in France who lead the study, according to Reuters, said that swimmers inhale large amounts of chlorine byproducts during hours of exercise in a pool, which can make them more sensitive to allergens. Of the 23 swimmers involved in the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 18 had at least one allergy. Bougault notes that the scar tissue seen in each of the swimmers lungs were also present in the non-allergic subjects as well, suggesting that the chlorine byproducts are causing the damage.
At the same time, Reuters reports Dr. Sally Wenzel, a pulmonologist at the University of Pittsburgh, as saying these results don’t mean that swimmers will develop asthma. Wenzel also notes that it is unlikely the health risks of chlorine will outweigh the exercise benefits gained from swimming.
The researchers state that more long-term consequences from this finding still have to be studied.
Comments (25)
Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 696 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 524 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 353 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 352 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 343 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 343 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 352 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 262 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 148 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 343 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
weneedrubio
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 3:25pmThat explains why swimmers on average live much longer than others I guess. Doctors and scientists are getting to be unbarible with there idealogical crap like Marajuana doesn’t do any harm to your lungs, we are all going to drown from global warming, etc., etc., etc. Please get back to true scientific study and quit trying to scare everyone into giving you more and more and more and more money. Pretty soon we’re going to be throwing rocks instead of cash, watch out.
Report Post »SweetDoug
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:52amWow! Who knew, eh?
Well, actually you could ask a few old duffers from WWI who were GASSED with the stuff!
What next! They’re going to tell us that smoking is bad for our health?!
•∆•
Report Post »V-V
Animator
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:34amChlorine is banned in the EU for water treatment. These issues have been long known. The EU uses UV and/or ozone to purify the water.
Chuck is correct regarding his comment of “Zyklon B”. Surprisingly, it was manufactured for the Nazis by Bayer, best known for its aspirin (also makes Yaz birth control pills, etc.) Years ago, there was a “Zyklon B” can on display at the John Heinz Museum, in Pittsburgh, PA, that clearly displays the familiar round Bayer logo on the label. I thought it was odd and kind of a slam at Bayer, which has offices and facilities west of Pittsburgh, formerly Mobay Chemical, before Bayer acquired them.
Report Post »dianna9490
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:52amI swam on a swim team from junior high thru high school. I practiced 2 hrs in the morning before class 2 hours at lunch and 2 hours after school. Sometimes my eyes were so burnt by the chlorine I could not see my books to even do homework. I developed asthma then and now as an adult I still have asthma and can catch a bronchial infection fast. Now it ALL MAKES SENSE TO ME!
Report Post »Animator
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:41amI too, swam competitively on swim team for eight years, practicing 4 hours a day, 5 day a week including the summer, competing in the YMCA league, high school and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The chlorine burned my eyes and caused me to cough, after exposure to it. I too have nagging respiratory issues that continue to haunt me, even 35 years later.
Report Post »tajloc
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:05amYou should be concerned about how the gov does anything. In our small town we (tea party types) monitor everything. The chlorine is added not to kill incoming service water (although it might be there) but to kill the poopie stuff dropped in the pool. Be sure to shower before you swim. The lings ight be damaged but amebic dysentery is really bad too. Try this site for Oxygen cleaners http://www.ecleartechnologies.com/ Also check out the need for fluorine in your drinking water. A tipping point is coming here. Join the 99% against F or ” Get the F out of my water!”
Report Post »AmericanFamilyMan
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:39amDrinking water can be effectively treated with UV Water Disinfection systems. Many municipal water supplies, including New York City are using UV with chlorine. Chlorine is not effective against all bacteria. After the turn of the century, chlorine started to be used as a disinfectant in water supplies to combat the 3 most common water borne bacterial diseases
Report Post »Typhoid Fever
Asiatic cholera
Bacillary dysentery
UV disinfection was first applied in early 1900’s for disinfection of industrial process waters
By mid-1980’s UV became the (BAT) Best Available Technology for wastewater
By the 1990’s the USEPA begin to consider UV disinfection as a primary disinfectant for municipal drinking water
Late 1990’s UV was considered BAT for both Cryptosporidium & Giardia
2003 UV disinfection was written into both USEPA drinking water regulations & Health Canada guidelines
More people with well water are using UV instead of chlorine. (Some states require it)Although everyone on well water should consider UV to treat their water, even if they don’t get a positive bacteria test. Well and ground water changes constantly. 30% to 40% of wells are infected at any given time.
Cryptosporidium & Giardia are immune to chlorine due to being in a shell, and closing up to not be exposed to chlorine. UV will penetrate the shell and destroy the microorganisms.
Google search Cryptosporidium & Giardia and see how dangers these critters are.
For more info on UV Water Disinfecti
AmericanFamilyMan
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:40amhttp://www.viqua.com
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:27pmI grew up on well water. And all we had were fiberglass filters. Never used chlorine or UV or any other disinfectant. The only time we had a problem with our water was when the jerks who own an oil well nearby started pumping salt water into their well. They should have had to pay for the decreased in our well’s quality. But, thanks to all the EPA and crap, they can do what they want so long as it is within the “allowable” regulations and the affected party can’t do jack about it.
Report Post »Rampart
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:01amHey Twiinz–Is it true that they use bromine to treat indoor pools? If so, I wonder if that mitigates lung irritation for those training in nadatoriums…?
Report Post »djmaine
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 10:34pmIt’s time to take on “big chlorine”
Report Post »Better yet…
Let’s Ban chlorine…
No let’s tax chlorine…
NOT A CRAZY
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:04amHere come the taxman!
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:41amStates like Florida have water which almost never gets cold enough to help(greatly) kill of the various bacteria and virouses. If chlorine is eventually banned, all the “standig water in the warm underground pipes will ”grow” when not flowing fast enough and if everyone doesnot have the expensive UV-system at their dwelling an eppedemic will shurely ensue…and the gubment will haveto
Report Post »respond to yet, annother “emergency”. GOD help us to see before… .
SgtB
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:34pm“Expensive UV”??? Do you even know what you are talking about? UV is nothing more than ultraviolet light. All it takes is a piece of pipe with a waterproof UV light inside of it or a length of clear pipe with UV lights around it. And the lights are no more complicated than a fluorescent bulb.
Hell, they even make survival UV water bottles that have a UV emitting LED powered by a crank handle that costs < $40. How much less expensive do you want? And if you want to get really cheap, you can run your water through glass pipes on your roof during the bright sunlight part of the day and the UV from the sun will treat it.
Chlorine is old tech and it if it is toxic to bacteria, it is toxic to you. UV, while toxic to bacteria, doesn't stay in the water to be a toxin on you. Does that not make sense to you?
Report Post »Coolcat51
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 10:11pmChlorine gas is what the Nazi using to gas the Jews. This was also using in the gas chamber to kill prisoner back in the day be for lethal injection.
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:12amMost people probably don’t know this, but chlorine gas was used to treat most public pools until 2001. The government made it so expensive and difficult to use chlorine gas that most pools switched to other administration techniques.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:57amI don’t think so, Coolcat. Death camps used stuff called “Zyklon B” — not sure what is was composed of, but it was not chlorine. Chlorine was the first poisonous gas used in WWI — but it was replaced by mustard gas and phosgene pretty quickly. The “gas chamber” for executions used a form of cyanide.
Report Post »stumpy68
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:28pmMustard gas is a mix of chlorine and ammonia
Report Post »Grasshopper42
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 9:37pmMore and more, folks are converting their chlorine pools to salt pools. Greener and safer . . .
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/wet/a/saltpool01.htm
Report Post »HoggKilla
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 10:14pmI heard too much chlorine turned Greg Louganis gay.
Report Post »Twiinz
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:07pmI manage a pool company here in Va. “Salt ” pools are still chlorine based. We put salt in the water and use electrolysis to make sodium hypochlorite in a very pure form. The benefits are many. You can learn more about it at autopilot.com. Salt generators for pools were pioneered in Australia because they didn’t have the infrastructure to ship actual chlorine around the country. These systems have been around for 35 years or there about. The green thing is just a marketing thing. :)
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:07amSalt pools ARE chlorine pools. The salt (sodium chloride) is simply converted into chlorine.
Report Post »Abraham Young
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 9:30pmWell, DUH, yes it is. It’s also destroying their thyroids. What a question.
Time for people to wake up and smell the FDA and all the kook science that they permit in the name of health.
Report Post »Lucrative
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:43pmYeah, “kook science”…not like chlorine use in pools has prevented the spread of dangerous disease and bacteria to countless MILLIONS of people, think it through man.
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:14amSo how do you suggest public pool and city drinking water be treated?
Report Post »