Public Pool making me sick?

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Trainer

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Oct 20, 2009
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I work at a daycare part time this summer. This week Wednesday we took the kids to a public pool and I spent over an hour in the pool. The next day I woke up with an extremely soar throat, Headache, runny nose and overall body aches. I am now on day 3 with no drugs even touching the symptoms.

2 weeks ago I had the same symptoms and we had gone to the pool 2 days before as well. I spent about the same time in the pool and was sick for around a week. I thought it was just a summer cold then, but now with the repeat I am wondering if it is something different.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? I looked up some random stuff online and it looks like if chlorine levels are too high it can cause sinus issues.
 

ajk4st8

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People who use our therapy pool occasionally complain of similar things. Doesn't surprise me if it was bugging you.
 

cyclonedave25

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I guess swimming in urine will do that to you. :wink:
Actually, it might be the chlorine levels.
 

Trainer

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Usually I am a pretty healthy person. I rarely get the flu, and occasionally a cold in the winter, but this has blindsided me.
 

ISUAgronomist

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I guess swimming in urine will do that to you. :wink:
Actually, it might be the chlorine levels.

Actually its a combination of the two. The ammonia in urine mixed with the chlorinated water results in chlorine gas being released from the water. You will notice the ill effects much worse in an indoor pool than outdoor pools because the gas cannot easily escape into the atmosphere.
 
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cyclonedave25

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majorcyfan

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I work at a daycare part time this summer. This week Wednesday we took the kids to a public pool and I spent over an hour in the pool. The next day I woke up with an extremely soar throat, Headache, runny nose and overall body aches. I am now on day 3 with no drugs even touching the symptoms.

2 weeks ago I had the same symptoms and we had gone to the pool 2 days before as well. I spent about the same time in the pool and was sick for around a week. I thought it was just a summer cold then, but now with the repeat I am wondering if it is something different.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? I looked up some random stuff online and it looks like if chlorine levels are too high it can cause sinus issues.

Most public pools and motel pools are kept at an excessively high chlorine level because of anticipated overloading of people swimming. When you see a cloudy motel pool, it's normally because the algae bloom is ready to appear next, so stay out of the pool. They need to shock the pool water. All pool water should sparkle in the sunlight or overhead lights, otherwise the water quality is going south, it should never look dull. When a pool sours or gets cloudy, lots of things growing in the water are bad for your health.

Lots of motel and hotel pools are subject to poor pool hygiene because of improperly trained workers or sloppy use of pool chemicals.
Motel spas are generally bad for you, never clean water.
I know I sound like doom and gloom about public used pools but you already have experienced the consequences.

I know pools, I've owned a pool for 25 yrs and sold pool chemicals for yrs.
 
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Trainer

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Most public pools and motel pools are kept at an excessively high chlorine level because of anticipated overloading of people swimming. When you see a cloudy motel pool, it's normally because the algae bloom is ready to appear next, so stay out of the pool. They need to shock the pool water. All pool water should sparkle in the sunlight or overhead lights, otherwise the water quality is going south, it sould never look dull. When a pool sours or gets cloudy, lots of things growing in the water are bad for your health.


Motel spas are generally bad for you, never clean water.

I know pools, I've owned a pool for 25 yrs and sold pool chemicals for yrs.
The water looked pretty clear, but it burnt the hell out of my eyes, and I didn't even open them underwater. My family actually has an above ground pool and has for many years, and I have never experienced this.
 

cyclone1975

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Once I got a really weird eye infection and the eye doctor told me it was probably from the water in the hotel spa I had just visited.
 

majorcyfan

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The water looked pretty clear, but it burnt the hell out of my eyes, and I didn't even open them underwater. My family actually has an above ground pool and has for many years, and I have never experienced this.

You should never really smell the chlorine in a properly maintained pool, what you smelled was chloramines,.....the nasty chlorine byproducts of dirty water.....The solution...Shock it with more chlorine to destroy the chloramines



Chloramines: Understanding “Pool Smell”

July 2006
Introduction
chloramine_1.jpg
A whiff of pool water - often described as the smell of chlorine -can stir happy thoughts of summer. If strong enough, however, "pool smell" can signify a source of irritation to the eyes, lungs and skin of swimmers.
Pool smell is due, not to chlorine, but to chloramines, chemical compounds that build up in pool water when it is improperly treated.
Chloramines result from the combination of two ingredients: (a) chlorine disinfectants and (b) perspiration, oils and urine that enter pools on the bodies of swimmers. Chlorine disinfectants are added to pool water to destroy germs that can give swimmers diarrhea, ear aches and athlete's foot. Perspiration, oils and urine, however, are unwanted additions to pool water. By showering before entering the pool, and washing these substances from the skin, swimmers can help minimize pool smell.
The Chemistry of Pool Smell
When chlorine disinfectants are added to water, two chemicals are unleashed that destroy waterborne germs: hypochlorous acid, HOCl, and hypochlorite ion
chloramine_2.jpg
, OCl-. A measure of the chlorine in these two chemicals is known as "free available chlorine" or FAC. Pool operators manage the FAC level of pool water for the safety of swimmers. Their challenge comes from the fact that FAC is reduced when it reacts with perspiration, oils and urine from swimmers to form chloramines.

One way that chloramines are formed in pool water is by the reaction of hypochlorous acid with ammonia. Ammonia, NH3, is a component of sweat and urine. Its chemical structure is illustrated in the figure at the right.




There are three chemical reactions that can occur when hypochlorous acid reacts with ammonia, each involving the replacement of hydrogen ions with chlorine ions. When one of ammonia's hydrogen ions is replaced with chlorine, monochloramine is formed:
HOCl + NH3 → NH2Cl + H2O
chloramine_14.gif

Three hydrogen ions are found at the corners of the base of this pyramid-shaped molecule, with nitrogen at the top.
chloramine_15.gif


Replacing one more hydrogen ion with chlorine produces dichloramine,
HOCl + NH2Cl → NHCl2 + H2O
chloramine_16.gif
Finally, it is possible to replace all three of ammonia's hydrogen ions with chlorine to form trichloramine, also known as nitrogen trichloride:
HOCl + NHCl2 → NCl3 + H2O.
chloramine_17.gif
Monochloramine is sometimes intentionally added to water because it is actually a useful disinfectant. Drinking water, for example, is sometimes purified with monochloramine. Dichloramine and especially trichloramine are the chloramines most responsible for pool smell. By showering before entering the pool, swimmers can minimize the formation of these two chloramines.

Managing Chlorine in the Pool
chloramine_7.gif

What is a Part Per Million?

A part per million (ppm) refers to "one in a million". It is equivalent to
  • One drop of dye in 18 gallons of water
  • One second in 12 days
  • One penny out of $10,000
As hypochlorous acid combines with ammonia to form chloramines, the FAC of pool water is reduced. Lowering the FAC reduces the ability of chlorine to destroy germs. The amount of chlorine that is "tied up" in chloramine compounds, and is therefore unavailable as free chlorine, is known as combined available chlorine (CAC). The sum of FAC and CAC is the total chlorine (TC).
TC = FAC + CAC
The Association of Pool and Spa Professionals suggests FAC concentrations in pool water should remain in the range 1.0 - NC 4.0 parts per million for chlorine to work effectively (FAC should never fall below 1 part per million). CAC levels should be less than 0.2 parts per million.
Pool managers can use test kits to measure both FAC and TC. CAC is then simply calculated:
CAC = TC - FAC
Minimizing Pool Smell
Swimmers with reddened, irritated eyes have been known to complain that "there is too much chlorine in the pool". In fact, however, when pool water is irritating, there is not enough chlorine in swimming pool water!
You may be surprised to learn that there is no odor to a well-managed pool. Chloramines, which produce pool smell, can be eliminated using chlorine. "Shock treatment" or "superchlorination" is the practice of adding extra chlorine to pools to destroy ammonia and the organic compounds that combine with chlorine to make chloramines. To effectively destroy chloramines through shock treatment, the pool water FAC concentration must be about ten times the CAC.
Pool Rules
Properly disinfected pool water is a must for the health and safety of swimmers. Pool managers have the responsibility to adjust the pool water chemistry to reduce the risk of infection for swimmers. But you can use your senses to help you determine whether a pool is safe for swimming.
The "SENSE-ABLE" Swimming Check List
chloraminecheck.gif
USE YOUR SENSE OF SIGHT.
chloramine_8.gif
Does the pool water look clear and blue? You should be able to see through the water down to the drain or stripes painted on the floor of the pool. If the water is cloudy and colored, there may be algae in it. DON'T GO IN!
chloraminecheck.gif
USE YOUR SENSE OF TOUCH.
chloramine_9.gif
Does the pool wall around the water line feel slimy? If it does, there are probably germs living on the wall. DON'T GO IN!

chloraminecheck.gif
USE YOUR SENSE OF SMELL
chloramine_10.gif
Is there a strong chemical odor around the pool? If there is, the pool manager may have to treat the water. DON'T GO IN!
chloraminecheck.gif
USE YOUR SENSE OF HEARING.
chloramine_11.gif
The sound of pool-cleaning equipment is a good sign!
chloraminecheck.gif
DON'T USE YOUR SENSE OF TASTE.
chloramine_12.gif
Just don't taste the water! If you do get some water in your mouth, don't swallow it.
chloraminecheck.gif
USE YOUR COMMON SENSE.
chloramine_13.gif
Shower before entering the pool to remove the substances that can help form chloramines. Encourage young children to take regular bathroom breaks, and never go swimming when you have diarrhea.Follow-up Activities:
  • In the chemical reactions that produce chloramines, what happens to the hydrogen ions that are being replaced with chlorine?
  • Explain why pool managers must test the chemistry of the pool water once every hour on hot summer days.
  • Pete's dad uses his pool test kit and measures a FAC of 2.5 ppm and a TC of 3.0 ppm. Should Pete and his buddies go swimming in the pool?
For a list of previous "Chlorine Compound of the Month" features, click here.
 
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majorcyfan

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Once I got a really weird eye infection and the eye doctor told me it was probably from the water in the hotel spa I had just visited.

You should never put your head under water in a spa, LOL what were you diving for?
 

Angie

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Most public pools and motel pools are kept at an excessively high chlorine level because of anticipated overloading of people swimming. When you see a cloudy motel pool, it's normally because the algae bloom is ready to appear next, so stay out of the pool. They need to shock the pool water. All pool water should sparkle in the sunlight or overhead lights, otherwise the water quality is going south, it should never look dull. When a pool sours or gets cloudy, lots of things growing in the water are bad for your health.

Lots of motel and hotel pools are subject to poor pool hygiene because of improperly trained workers or sloppy use of pool chemicals.
Motel spas are generally bad for you, never clean water.
I know I sound like doom and gloom about public used pools but you already have experienced the consequences.

I know pools, I've owned a pool for 25 yrs and sold pool chemicals for yrs.

From what I understand, don't hotel pools have to have a log of multiple pH tests of their pool throughout the course of the day, and be subject to surprise visits from inspectors? I have a friend who used to be the manager or a local hotel, and that was how they had to run things. Obviously not all hotels comply, but I know this is at least how it was a few years ago.
 

bos

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The nasty pools are the saline ones. It just feels gross to swim in them. Its like you are swimming sweat.
 

ajk4st8

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Some pools now are being sanitized with UV light. Hopefully that will be the way of the future of indoor pools.
 

hawkeyeh8r

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The water looked pretty clear, but it burnt the hell out of my eyes, and I didn't even open them underwater. My family actually has an above ground pool and has for many years, and I have never experienced this.

that means there was too much chlorine in the pool. a lot of hotel pools are like but most public pools ive been too dont bother my eyes much
 

majorcyfan

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From what I understand, don't hotel pools have to have a log of multiple pH tests of their pool throughout the course of the day, and be subject to surprise visits from inspectors? I have a friend who used to be the manager or a local hotel, and that was how they had to run things. Obviously not all hotels comply, but I know this is at least how it was a few years ago.


You are probably right, that might be what is called for but hardly ever totally followed.

Have you ever looked at a pool after a busy winter weekend of everybody swimming in the pool? Everybody comes and stays at the local motel and lets the family swim to their hearts content. By Sunday night the pool is looking very cloudy if overused and that is the problem, too many people in the pool, everything on your skin is now in the pool and the water can't handle the load.....most pools are not serviced til Mondy morning A cloudy pool on Monday morning can be the norm in mostHotels and motels if too much traffic over the weekend. And don't get me started on Spas, they're even worse as far as bacterial count after a busy weekend.
 

bosco

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At the creation of time there was the germ. Soon after the KID sprung up and has spread the GERM all over the world. The WHO has known about the KID and has tried to contain their infectious malaise but to the detriment of mankind it has spread all over.

The only known cure is to stop having germ laden children spread the disease to everyone. Let us stop the plague now!
 
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motherof1

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Q. Is there anyone out there who has had their hair changle colors after swimming in a motel pool? I took my son for a swim here at the Laquinta and then we came up to our room,tok our showers and when i got out my hair was green! :mad: Just tonight!
 

Jnecker4cy

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Q. Is there anyone out there who has had their hair changle colors after swimming in a motel pool? I took my son for a swim here at the Laquinta and then we came up to our room,tok our showers and when i got out my hair was green! :mad: Just tonight!

Pool Chemicals (Chlorine) can turn your hair Green. My sisters were Divers in High School and their blonde hair would turn green during diving season sometimes, there was a home remedy, Tomato Juice I think, that they washed their hair with, their also used to be some hair shampoos that helped wash out chlorine.

Good Luck.