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The chlorinates created when the chlorine reacts with e.g. sweat and urine is what causes red eyes and breathing difficulties. From my experience, stay away fro

by ganonm 8y ago

The chlorinates created when the chlorine reacts with e.g. sweat and urine is what causes red eyes and breathing difficulties. From my experience, stay away from hotel/health club pools. These usually have saunas and jacuzzis which means people jump into the pool afterwards and contaminate it a lot... If you are doing swimming for fitness you will be inhaling a much larger volume of air, plus you will be inhaling air near the surface of the water where the chlorinates are most concentrated. Stick to public leisure centres where the pools are designated for fitness swimming. The people using these pools are generally a lot more conscientious about showering before entering the pool.

nickjj 8y ago
When you say difficulty in breathing, do you mean that feeling that you sometimes get after being in a pool for a long time where if you take a deep breath, it kind of hurts your lungs?
- Reason077 8y ago
  That’s the feeling I get after walking or cycling in London traffic and getting a lung full of diesel fumes...
  - dsfyu404ed 8y ago
    That's the same feeling most humans get when they're exerting themselves in an environment with lots of airborne particulate matter.
  - frockington 8y ago
    I normally get that feeling when exercising on open trails as well or even indoors. It's part of exercising intensely
    - Reason077 8y ago
      Perhaps, but it feels much worse in a polluted environment, and takes much longer to go away (lungs still sore/“tight” hours later). I do think it’s strange when I see people jogging along polluted arterial roads for this reason. Especially when there are often traffic-free trails or quiet back roads available nearby!
      - frockington 8y ago
        Interesting to hear it is a notable effect, I've never ran in a polluted environment before. Next time I'm in New York I'll have to give it a try.
        Reason077 8y ago
        New York is notably less polluted than many European cities. For one thing, there are far less diesel vehicles. The US has long had stricter and more effective vehicle emissions rules than Europe.
- wierd0 8y ago
  Some are more sensitive to chlorine than others. I have astma and feel awful after having been in a pool.
- ganonm 8y ago
  I trained briefly in a health club/gym pool (not full length, had a sauna etc). I would usually find that after swimming in it for any length of time, inhaling fully wouldn't feel like it was providing me with the expected amount of oxygen - hard to describe accurately the feeling but it definitely wasn't just breathlessness from exerting myself. Didn't really hurt or anything. When I swam in a proper fitness pool however, there were no feelings like that.
  - Sean1708 8y ago
    Have you ever been tested for asthma? I used to get that feeling all the time when doing rigorous exercise, and I was always under the impression that it was related to my asthma in some way (I could well be wrong though, I can't remember where I learnt this).
    - ganonm 8y ago
      Never been tested and generally speaking I rarely suffer from chest issues. I have no problem exerting myself in a well maintained pool (or whilst running or cycling), it was just a particular experience I had in a poorly maintained pool.
    - snowwrestler 8y ago
      Pool swimming is one of the least likely triggers for exercise-induced asthma. The air above the surface of a pool tends to be warm with very high humidity, which is the ideal air for an asthmatic. If a person gets that feeling after any exercise, yes, it's not a bad idea to get checked for asthma. But if it only happens after swimming, I would think it much more likely that the issue is related to that pool. Chlorine allergy is also a possibility, if the person experiences symptoms in pools that don't occur elsewhere.
      - nickjj 8y ago
        I remember it happening to me in some public pools but never in the ocean. I've also done some high intensity training outside of water without the same lung issues. I'll get out of breath after running for a while, but the pool related issue is every time I breathe in deep to expand my lungs, it would feel very strange and hurt. It would last even an hour after leaving the pool area.
eggy 8y ago
Chloramines, or combined chlorine are the by-products of free chlorine reacting with organic material. If there are too many, the pool has been improperly treated, or a huge amount of organics has overwhelmed the system. Chlorinates are things into which you've added or introduced chlorine.
- ganonm 8y ago
  Thanks for this clarification, my knowledge of chemistry is quite poor. I remember the pool manager trying to tell me that 'if anything, the chlorine levels are low'. I suspect this was because any chlorine they added was very rapidly being turned into chloramine by-products.
  - eggy 8y ago
    Yes, that's usually the case. Chlorine is actually pretty odorless until it reacts with something.
Spooky23 8y ago
> The people using these pools are generally a lot more conscientious about showering before entering the pool. But you’re now going to face swimmer drama. Violation of some unknown, unspoken rule will result in dirty looks and jerky behavior. I’d rather swim in pee than deal with unfamiliar serious swimmers!
- zolthrowaway 8y ago
  Since you generalized a large group of people, I'm also going to generalize them, too. Most swimmers are very reasonable people just trying to work out. If you ask questions while they're between sets or after their workout, I'm sure they will be willing to talk to you. There are only like 4 rules when swimming. 1) Stay to the right side of the lane. 2) If you're on the wall, stay in the corner of the lane (so people can turn). 3) If someone touches your foot, stop for a second and let them pass. 4) If multiple lanes are open, try to stay with people of similar speed. If they're getting mad at you for anything else, those people are being jerks. Rule 1,2, and 4 are all things you would do while running or cycling. They are follow the flow and try not to be in the way. They are common courtesy everywhere, not just a pool. Rule 3 is the only one that may not be intuitive, but you'll be kicking someone in the fingertips and face for at least a whole lap if you don't let them pass. Plus, it can ruin a set if they're trying to hit a certain pace. I'm not saying anyone should ever be a jerk to you, but it's similar to when people walk 4 wide down the sidewalk.
  - dvdgsng 8y ago
    1) 2) & 4) are sane, reasonable and common. 3) however is not common at all, in fact I've never come across this behaviour in several years of swimming in multiple places. I just don't see how this would apply if there are not enough lanes for different paces. It does not scale at all. One very fast swimmer could easily dominate a lane, everyone would have to watch out for him/her. When you have more than 4 people on a lane, this is heavily annoying. If everyone applied 4), this wouldn't be a problem at all.
    - zolthrowaway 8y ago

by ganonm 8y ago

nickjj 8y ago

When you say difficulty in breathing, do you mean that feeling that you sometimes get after being in a pool for a long time where if you take a deep breath, it kind of hurts your lungs?

Reason077 8y ago
That’s the feeling I get after walking or cycling in London traffic and getting a lung full of diesel fumes...
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago
  That's the same feeling most humans get when they're exerting themselves in an environment with lots of airborne particulate matter.
- frockington 8y ago
  I normally get that feeling when exercising on open trails as well or even indoors. It's part of exercising intensely
  - Reason077 8y ago
    Perhaps, but it feels much worse in a polluted environment, and takes much longer to go away (lungs still sore/“tight” hours later). I do think it’s strange when I see people jogging along polluted arterial roads for this reason. Especially when there are often traffic-free trails or quiet back roads available nearby!
    - frockington 8y ago
      Interesting to hear it is a notable effect, I've never ran in a polluted environment before. Next time I'm in New York I'll have to give it a try.
      - Reason077 8y ago
        New York is notably less polluted than many European cities. For one thing, there are far less diesel vehicles. The US has long had stricter and more effective vehicle emissions rules than Europe.
wierd0 8y ago
Some are more sensitive to chlorine than others. I have astma and feel awful after having been in a pool.
ganonm 8y ago
I trained briefly in a health club/gym pool (not full length, had a sauna etc). I would usually find that after swimming in it for any length of time, inhaling fully wouldn't feel like it was providing me with the expected amount of oxygen - hard to describe accurately the feeling but it definitely wasn't just breathlessness from exerting myself. Didn't really hurt or anything. When I swam in a proper fitness pool however, there were no feelings like that.
- Sean1708 8y ago
  Have you ever been tested for asthma? I used to get that feeling all the time when doing rigorous exercise, and I was always under the impression that it was related to my asthma in some way (I could well be wrong though, I can't remember where I learnt this).
  - ganonm 8y ago
    Never been tested and generally speaking I rarely suffer from chest issues. I have no problem exerting myself in a well maintained pool (or whilst running or cycling), it was just a particular experience I had in a poorly maintained pool.
  - snowwrestler 8y ago
    Pool swimming is one of the least likely triggers for exercise-induced asthma. The air above the surface of a pool tends to be warm with very high humidity, which is the ideal air for an asthmatic. If a person gets that feeling after any exercise, yes, it's not a bad idea to get checked for asthma. But if it only happens after swimming, I would think it much more likely that the issue is related to that pool. Chlorine allergy is also a possibility, if the person experiences symptoms in pools that don't occur elsewhere.
    - nickjj 8y ago
      I remember it happening to me in some public pools but never in the ocean. I've also done some high intensity training outside of water without the same lung issues. I'll get out of breath after running for a while, but the pool related issue is every time I breathe in deep to expand my lungs, it would feel very strange and hurt. It would last even an hour after leaving the pool area.

eggy 8y ago

Chloramines, or combined chlorine are the by-products of free chlorine reacting with organic material. If there are too many, the pool has been improperly treated, or a huge amount of organics has overwhelmed the system. Chlorinates are things into which you've added or introduced chlorine.

ganonm 8y ago
Thanks for this clarification, my knowledge of chemistry is quite poor. I remember the pool manager trying to tell me that 'if anything, the chlorine levels are low'. I suspect this was because any chlorine they added was very rapidly being turned into chloramine by-products.
- eggy 8y ago
  Yes, that's usually the case. Chlorine is actually pretty odorless until it reacts with something.

Spooky23 8y ago

> The people using these pools are generally a lot more conscientious about showering before entering the pool. But you’re now going to face swimmer drama. Violation of some unknown, unspoken rule will result in dirty looks and jerky behavior. I’d rather swim in pee than deal with unfamiliar serious swimmers!

zolthrowaway 8y ago
Since you generalized a large group of people, I'm also going to generalize them, too. Most swimmers are very reasonable people just trying to work out. If you ask questions while they're between sets or after their workout, I'm sure they will be willing to talk to you. There are only like 4 rules when swimming. 1) Stay to the right side of the lane. 2) If you're on the wall, stay in the corner of the lane (so people can turn). 3) If someone touches your foot, stop for a second and let them pass. 4) If multiple lanes are open, try to stay with people of similar speed. If they're getting mad at you for anything else, those people are being jerks. Rule 1,2, and 4 are all things you would do while running or cycling. They are follow the flow and try not to be in the way. They are common courtesy everywhere, not just a pool. Rule 3 is the only one that may not be intuitive, but you'll be kicking someone in the fingertips and face for at least a whole lap if you don't let them pass. Plus, it can ruin a set if they're trying to hit a certain pace. I'm not saying anyone should ever be a jerk to you, but it's similar to when people walk 4 wide down the sidewalk.
- dvdgsng 8y ago
  1) 2) & 4) are sane, reasonable and common. 3) however is not common at all, in fact I've never come across this behaviour in several years of swimming in multiple places. I just don't see how this would apply if there are not enough lanes for different paces. It does not scale at all. One very fast swimmer could easily dominate a lane, everyone would have to watch out for him/her. When you have more than 4 people on a lane, this is heavily annoying. If everyone applied 4), this wouldn't be a problem at all.
  - zolthrowaway 8y ago