Pool Chlorination: A blessing or hazard?

 It’s common knowledge that chlorine is an effective disinfectant used in pools and water bodies. What many people do not know is that pool chemistry is much more complicated than adding chlorine to kill bacteria. You might suffer from adverse health consequences if you’re unaware of the guidelines for maintaining optimal water chemistry in your backyard pool.

Chlorine Benefits

Microorganisms in the pool, like E. coli and cryptosporidium, lead to waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, swimmer’s ear, and other skin and respiratory problems. To avoid the onset of diseases due to pathogen growth in the pool, you must maintain disinfectant levels in the pool water. Chlorine and bromine are common disinfectants. CDC recommended levels for free chlorine are one ppm for pools, while for bromine, at least three ppm are recommended. To ensure pool chlorination is functioning effectively, you also need to maintain your pH between 7.2-7.8.

A well-chlorinated pool will also minimize the risks of an algae breakout. Algae can be of various types ranging from the less resistant green algae to the most resistant black algae. It can stain pool floors and walls, leading to costly structural damage repairs as algal roots can weaken a pool’s structural integrity. More importantly, however, an algae outbreak is a breeding ground of bacteria and can cause multiple infections in swimmers.

Chlorine Hazards

While chlorination has tremendous benefits, it can be reversed if an inadequate amount of chlorine is present in the water. The typical chlorine smell that is popularly misconstrued as extra chlorine in the water is actually due to a chlorine deficiency. The smell occurs because of chloramines in the water. Chloramines are compounds formed when chlorine reacts with components like urine, sweat, lotion, etc. This reaction reduces the free chlorine concentration in a pool.

These chloramines are the culprit for the common ‘swimmer’s red eyes’. They can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems with coughing and wheezing symptoms. Chloramines are denser than air and settle on the water surface. They restrict the movement of fresh air in the pool and thus make breathing difficult. While swimmers are at high risk of illnesses caused by chloramines, people around the pool are also affected by them due to their vaporization. This becomes a major problem in indoor pools where ventilation is restricted. This is also bad news for people with pre-existing health problems like asthma or COPD.

Get Your Pool Checked

Some tips to avoid such effects include preventing inhalation by taking pool breaks in a well-ventilated area but, more importantly, maintaining your pool to avoid chloramines in the first place. An experienced pool builder will ensure your backyard pool has enough breathing space. If you feel pool maintenance is tough, you can reach out to a good pool contractor in your area. This will help eliminate the risks of poor pool maintenance and save any extra expenses. Perfect Pools in Ashburn and Lovettsville have an experienced team of swimming pool designers who will make sure your pool construction is standard and safe. You can contact them for pool maintenance issues and get their expert recommendations.