Safe to swim in chlorine?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dc2sofla

0
May 23, 2013
17
South Florida
Hi all,

I'm confused and concerned. I'm about to close on a house and my wife and I are about to have a baby. The pool at the house we're buying is a normal chlorinated pool. My cousin has recommended we switch to a saltwater system. I've heard and read that it produces less chloramines - true? I also like the idea of not having to lug chlorine. I was disappointed to learn that a saltwater system still produces chlorine. She says the water is less irritating. However, I'm still worried about the chlorine. I've been reading up on it and discovering that maybe spending all this time in pools down here in Florida isn't so great for us. I know the research is in its early stages but I'm seeing that swimming in chlorine is being linked to asthma and some cancers. I never really thought about it before but it makes sense since it's a chemical.

I was set to go with a saltwater chlorinator but then started looking up alternatives. I've come across a lot, from ozone to UV to metal ions. Companies such as Technopure, Go Chemless/Eco Tech Pool (based right here in South Florida), etc. But I'm seeing conversations on forums that make me worry these systems don't really work.

Anyway, can some of you please shed some light and hopefully put my mind at ease?

Here are my questions:
1. Is it safe to swim in chlorine? Why do you think so?
2. Is a saltwater chlorinator system safer than a normal system?
3. Is a saltwater system better than a normal system? I've never owned my own pool but I'm drawn to the fact that the saltwater system would make its own chlorine and I won't have to lug around jugs of chlorine.
4. Are there any alternatives out there that work well and are safer than chlorine?
 
1) Yes, at normal pool levels chlorine is safe. There is way more active chlorine in most tap water than there is in pool. The main risk is from certain forms of combined chlorine, which are mostly only an issue in poorly managed indoor pools (which is unfortunately quite common).
2) Not really. It has far more to do with indoor vs outdoor and how well you take care of the pool rather than using a SWG or not.
3) The primary benefit of a SWG is convince. It does allow slightly lower FC levels, but that is really not significant.
4) No, only a few things come close and none of them are as good.
 
Thanks for the fast response JasonLion.

I hear you on tap water. My wife and I already use a purification system to filter our drinking water. I'm getting ready to install shower filters on both showers to filter out the chlorine. My skin gets very dry the more I shower and I feel exhausted after getting out of showers. That's what got me thinking about the pool - I'll be swimming in the stuff!

What do you attribute the information coming out about the possible link between swimming in chlorinated pools and asthma and cancer to?

Perhaps I don't know enough about it but the fact that we absorb everything through our skin concerns me about chlorinated water. In your opinion, you believe we can absorb it and safely eliminate it?

I'm reading stuff like this:
http://news.discovery.com/human/health/chlorinated-pools-swimming-cancer.htm

It concerns me that chlorine is a carcinogen.
 
Technically water is a chemical so your are always swimming in chemicals. I've tested my tap water a few times and it has ranged from 1.5 - 3.5 ppm FC so I drink with it, cook with it and bathe and shower in it.

My brother in law switched from chlorine based pool to a baqua and seems happy, but I have yet to see his pool since he made the change nor do I really know anything about it.
 
According to CA ... just about everything is a carcinogen in high enough quantities ;)

This topic has been covered in a lot of threads on this forum. Generally the only way a person may have a problem with chlorine is if they spend hours every day, like for training, in an indoor pool which has no stabilizer in it. The active chlorine in a public indoor pool is much higher (like 10x) than the active levels using our recommended levels with stabilizer. Plus being outdoors, there is not as much chance of a build up of the CC that is what generally causes the problems, because the sun burns it off.

There really is not a reliable alternative to chlorine. It is the cheapest and best sanitizer. If you have this much concern, then maybe a personal pool is not for you ... but I would CERTAINLY prefer to be in my own well maintained pool than any public one. Most public pools / water parks make me cringe after learning and understanding the chemistry based on the information provided here.
 
Just trying to understand if there is validity in my concern or not. I figured I'd ask people who seem to know a heck of a lot more.

I know you all put a lot of effort into keeping your pools clean but do you ever think about the chlorine? Or do you just trust it's safe?
 
If I were concerned about Chlorine, I'd not drink tap water, nor maintain my pool, or use my pool, clean my bathrooms, or sport the whitest of white laundry.

I do or have all of the above. So no, I'm not concerned.

It is rumored that pretty much everything causes cancer. From power lines, cell phones, second-hand smoke, artificial sweetener, natural sweetener, car exhaust, riding in a car, living in the city, and eating potatoes and red meat.

Ergo, pretty much everything gives one cancer. That's the thing about life, no one gets out alive.

I trust that chlorine is safe, other than mixing it in a cleaning bucket with ammonia, or dumping it right on my skin.
 
There are a lot of very detailed discussions written by Chem Geek that you can search for. And there are discussions about "alternative" as well.
Here are a few:

alternative-to-chlorine-peroxide-t57059.html
how-much-chlorine-is-too-much-t45170.html
debunking-the-chlorine-lock-myth-t30013.html
pool-water-chemistry-t628.html
certified-pool-operator-cpo-training-what-is-not-taught-t18432.html

As you can see it is not that we "trust" it to be safe ... there is plenty of science behind the methods we teach. I would be more afraid of the bacteria, viruses and parasites in the water where adequate chlorine was not present.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I am locking this thread.

dc2sofla's mind cannot "be put at ease". nor is he "confused".

He doesn't know, but this subject has been drudged up 3-4 times yearly for the past 7 years and longer elsewhere. TFP'rs know the science is solid behind what we do and we know that it is perfectly safe. It is pointless to keep beating this dead horse.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply