Disgusting Truth About Swimming Pool Water

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average pool user contributes at least 0.14 grams of faecal matter to pool water. The problem is created especially those who avoid showering their bottoms with soap before entering the water. Majority of those who use swimming pools pee in the water. Nearly 100 % of competitive swimmers admitted they pee in the pool regularly.

In addition to urine or invisible faecal matter, after entering the pool water, people also add their sweat, bacteria, fungus, and different chemicals from body lotions, cosmetics or sunscreens they use. The problem is that all those chemical and bodily fluids people add to the pool water react with chlorine already present there. According to the researchers those reactions create very dangerous toxic chlorine by-products, which have been linked to cancer, skin and lung irritation, allergies, or asthma. For instance, studies demonstrated that urinating in chlorinated pools creates a toxic chemical called cyanogen chloride, classified as an agent of chemical warfare. Cyanogen chloride is the result of reaction between chlorine and nitrogen found in urine.

Reactions between pool disinfectants such as chlorine and organic matter, including urine, hair, skin, sweat, dirt, creates other highly toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The most common ones are TCEP (the carcinogenic flame retardant), DEET, an active ingredient in insect repellants and surprisingly even Caffeine. DBPs generated by chlorine reactions with organic material in pool water might be very dangerous. In fact, according to the researchers spending just about forty minutes in a chlorinated pool water may lead to dna damage. Swimming pools can be also contaminated with trihalomethanes (THMs), which have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and are linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans, including stillbirths, abortion, and congenital malformations. The combination of pee and chlorine in water also creates a bit of chloroform and trichloramine (NCl3), another powerful irritant.

It is estimated that there are about 100 disinfection by-products in pool water and some of them are known mutagens, which can contribute to cancer. However, the shocking truth is that according to  one review even with all these mostly dangerous chemicals, there is not much difference between swimming pool water and drinking water! Read more about DRINKING WATER >

A 100 years ago during the pre-industrial era the average testosterone levels of a 20 to 30-year-old male were about 800-2000ng/dL. Today it is only about 200-800ng/dL! The culprit is commonly attributed to the chemicals that disrupt the normal hormone production cycle called endocrine disruptors such as mercury, arsenic, chlorine, fluoride, estradiol, BPA, pesticides and other harmful chemicals found in tap water. In a study, testosterone samples were taken from 361 boys between the ages of 14 and 18 who had spent between 125 to 250 hours in chlorinated swimming pools. According to the study results these boys had three times higher risk to have testosterone levels in the bottom 10 percentile compared to their peers who did not exposed their bodies to the chlorinated pool water.

SOLUTION

  • Avoid chlorinated pools especially those with strong chemical smell.
  • Drink plenty of non-chlorinated, distilled or at least filtered water before entering chlorinated pool so that you are well hydrated.
  • Avoid swimming pools if you have allergies or asthma
  • Try to find ozonated pools.
  • Never pee in pool water.
  • Avoid swallowing pool water and always swim with closed mouth.
  • Install a Chlorine Filter on the faucet and shower heads as the local water supply contains chlorine, and chlorine from daily showers is absorbed into your skin. In addition, when you take hot showers, you inhale chlorine from the vapour.
  • Use water distiller to remove chlorine and other dangerous contaminants from tap water.
  • Avoid Chlorine Bleach. Use chlorine-free alternatives such as baking soda, distilled vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and oxygen-based bleach. Let the clothes hang outside as ultra-violet sun rays bleach white clothes.
  • Detoxify your body using charcoal, chlorella or zeolite supplement – a natural volcanic mineral that traps toxins and flushes them out through your urine. Take one tablespoon per day along with sodium ascorbate. This is a powerful and natural liver cleaner. The liver plays a vital role in testosterone production, and a dirty liver is akin to an engine with a dirty air filter.
SOURCES

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21631527

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-raise-your-testosterone-levels-through-the-roof-with-the-endocrine-diet

Environ Health Perspect. Nov 2010; 118(11): 1531–1537.

http://www.newwaveenviro.com/blog/post/poison-tap-how-chlorine-killing-our-health-and-immunity

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013000366

LaKind J, Richardson S, Blount B. The good, the bad, and the volatile – Can we have both healthy pools and healthy people? Environmental Science & Technology. 2010.

Richardson S, DeMarini D, Kogevinas M, et al. What’s in the Pool? A Comprehensive Identification of Disinfection By-products and Assessment of Mutagenicity of Chlorinated and Brominated Swimming Pool Water. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2010.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/01/chemicals-in-indoor-swimming-pools-increase-cancer-risk.aspx