If swimming is a part of your daily or weekly routine, but you hate pool chlorine’s negative side effects – follow these tips to cut your exposure to chlorine:
1. Rinse before you swim
There’s a common misconception that chlorine-related health issues and irritation comes from chlorine when in fact it’s chloramines, the disinfection byproduct of chlorine reacting to organic material like sweat, skin oils, lotion, etc. Showering before swimming helps remove these organic materials, which reduces your exposure to harmful chloramines while you swim.
2. Shower after you swim
After you swim in a chlorinated pool, you can minimize the dry, irritating effects chlorine has on your skin by showering off the excess chemicals. If your water source contains trace amounts of chlorine – you can get healthy, purified water by installing a filter on your shower head.
3. Swim in outdoor pools
Indoor pools trap contaminated air, making chlorinated pools surrounding areas stuffy and odorous. To decrease the amount of chloramines you inhale, try to swim in an outdoor pool. If the cold fall or winter seasons prevent you from swimming outdoors, swim in indoor pools that have high functioning ventilation and air flow.
4. Use non-chlorine sanitation
If you swim at your home pool, you can avoid using chlorine in your pool altogether. Hydroxyl-based advanced oxidation systems sanitize your pool water without chlorine or with the less chlorine levels that are found in your drinking water source.
By making these small adjustments to your swimming routine and environment, you can make a big improvement to how you protect your body from harmful chemicals.