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 Many people swim for health. Swimming is great exercise in that it uses all the muscles, but does not put undo stress on the joints of the feet and legs, as does running. It is also relaxing and fun to splash around in the pool with the children. Unfortunately, pools develop either algae and bacteria if they are not kept chlorinated or they produce other high-risk substances if they are.
If you love to swim, you might want to at least consider finding alternatives to public swimming pools. Chlorine is a strong chemical, and can irritate the respiratory system, but there are worse problems with chlorine than just the caustic smell. In reality, chlorine evaporates in hours, but it leaves behind other toxic chemicals formed by the disinfecting process. These hazardous chemicals are sometimes called DPBs, which stands for disinfection by-products. These substances are far more dangerous than the chlorine itself.
Another consideration about swimming in public pools is that when your whole body is immersed in this water that is so laden with chlorine, you actually absorb as much chlorine in an hour of swimming as you would in a whole week of drinking city tap water. Think of how much chlorine that would put into the system of a child who swims in a public pool several hours, several times a week!
One obvious alternative is to get your own pool and use it judiciously. There are non-chlorine methods of keeping the water disinfected. Ozone from ultraviolet lights is one way. Another is the use of special copper and zinc filters in the skimmer basket. Even if you use these methods, algae can become a problem. If you use these alternatives, remember that with a chlorine shock, the chlorine is evaporated in 24 hours, and the DPBs also evaporate out within 72 hours. This means that an occasional chlorine shock won't hurt anyone too much if they wait a few days about reentering the water.
Chlorine use has been associated with childhood asthma, with some studies showing that as little as an hour a week in a swimming pool increases a child's chance of developing asthma by 20%! Pool workers often develop respiratory illnesses, too, presumably because of handling the chlorine on a frequent basis.
The safest place to swim according to some natural health experts is in the ocean. The salt in the sea water does a fair job of killing bacteria, and your body absorbs trace minerals with all their benefits. An unpolluted river, creek, or lake is also a good alternative for safe, chlorine-free swimming. If you cannot get to any of these places, though, it is worth it to investigate the alternatives to cleaning your home pool water with chlorine.
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