September 14th, 2010

That strong chemical smell that smacks you in the face when you walk into a room with an indoor pool may be unpleasant, but being in the water could be a health risk. A study released Sunday that will appear in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives finds that swimming in chemical-laden indoor pools could cause a type of DNA damage that has been linked to bladder cancer and respiratory problems.
The study is the first to take such a close look at the byproducts of disinfectants in indoor pools, and the first to formally research genetic toxicity in swimmers exposed to those byproducts, according to the researchers.

[Read more →]