Swimming in chlorinated pools linked to asthma risk

Swimming in chlorinated pools 'increases asthma risk five-fold', suggests a study, published in the European Respiratory Journal. Researchers led by Prof Alfred Bernard, of the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, showed that children who swim frequently in chlorinated pools are 'five times' more likely to develop asthma.

The study examined 847 secondary school pupils with an average age of 15 to detect the effects of swimming in outdoor pools regularly.

"In summary, the present study shows that the attendance at outdoor chlorinated swimming pools, at home or during holidays, is associated with an exposure-dependent increase in the risk of asthma," the authors of the study said.

It suggested that the chlorine utilised to maintain the cleanliness of the pool could be contributing to the development of asthma. It is thought the chlorine fumes floating around the surface of the pool may facilitate to trigger the condition by irritating the upper airways, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said today.

According to the study, children who had swum for the equivalent of one hour a week for ten years, more than 500 hours in total, were five times more likely to have the wheezing condition than children who never swam in outdoor pools.

Those with a predisposition to allergies, as shown by measurements taken from their blood, were up to ten times more likely to have asthma if they had swam for more than 500 hours in an outdoor pool, the study showed.