Children Using Swimming Pools at a Greater Risk to Develop Asthma

A new study developed by Belgian researchers found that children that swim in indoor swimming pools are exposed to greater risks of suffering from asthma. The main cause that leads to infant asthma and wheeze in such cases is considered to be the prolonged exposure to chlorine in the water and air in indoor pools.

That is why the effects of chlorine should be further and thoroughly investigated, while indoors pools should be appropriately ventilated. A previous study led by the same team showed that chlorine when interacting with sweat or urine can lead to disorders in the pulmonary function.

The study carried out at the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels showed that rates of asthmatic children or children that suffer from wheeze are rose in 100000 individuals by 2-3% for every indoor swimming pool.

"The prevalence of childhood asthma and the number of indoor chlorinated swimming pools in Europe are linked through associations that are geographically consistent and independent of climate, altitude and the socioeconomic status of the country," stated Professor Alfred Bernard, leader of the study, for Reuters.

Asthma is a chronic allergic condition which relates to the constriction and tightening of the air passages that cause wheezing, breathing difficulty, chest constriction, sudden cough and gasping attacks etc. Usually, asthmatic people suffer from inflammatory disorders of the airways in which many cells are involved, especially mast cells, eosinophils and T lymphocytes.

That is why Professor Alfred Bernard counsels parents, especially those of infants prone to allergies, to restrict children's permission to indoor swimming pools and advise them instead to go swimming into outdoor pools where the chlorine gas is quickly dispersed: "If there is a strong chlorine smell and if the child is atopic, it may increase their risk of atopic diseases. This environment isn't healthy for them and I personally would be careful. I wouldn't recommend it. It's just common sense."