Swimming pool chlorine 'may cause asthma'

Last updated at 11:09 18 July 2006


The chlorine in indoor swimming pools may be contributing to the rising number of children with asthma, new research suggests.

A study spanning 21 European countries found a close association between access to indoor swimming pools and respiratory problems in children.

Prevalence of childhood asthma and wheeze rose by around 2 to 3 per cent for every indoor swimming pool provided per 100,000 people.

Asthma

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The findings strongly support the theory that chlorine in the water and air at indoor swimming pools can trigger asthma. Childhood asthma in the UK soared by 400 per cent in the 1980s and 1990s, although there are signs that rates are now slowing.

Chlorine

Writing in the online edition of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the researchers call for a thorough evaluation of the long-term effects of chlorine on children's lungs, regulation of levels of chlorine by-products, and proper ventilation of pools.

The charity Asthma UK said there were good and bad aspects of allowing children to use indoor pools. A spokesperson said: "Swimming is an excellent form of exercise for children with asthma as the warm humid air in the swimming pool is less likely to trigger asthma symptoms.

"We do recognise, however, that the chemicals present in heavily-chlorinated pools may be important in making the airways more irritable and further research is needed to understand this association."

The Belgian scientists drew on data from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which looked at 190,000 13 and 14-year-olds from 21 countries across Europe.

This was analysed in relation to the number of indoor chlorinated swimming pools per 100,000 of the population in each country.

Availability of indoor pools ranged from one for every 50,000 inhabitants in western Europe to one per 300,000 in eastern Europe.

The research, led by Professor Alfred Bernard, showed the wheezing rate rose by 3.39 per cent and asthma rate by 2.73 per cent for every additional indoor chlorinated pool.

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