Exposure to pool disinfectant byproducts may lead to gene mutation, cancer, birth defects, asthma and other respiratory ailments.

Pool disinfectants may be doing more harm than good

(UPI) - Negative health outcomes can occur when disinfection byproducts form reactions with organic matter in swimming pool water, U.S. researchers suggest.

Michael Plewa of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, says pools require disinfection to prevent outbreaks of infectious disease, but the disinfectants may increase risk of asthma and bladder cancer.

"All sources of water possess organic matter that comes from decaying leaves, microbes and other dead life forms," Plewa says in a statement. "In addition to organic matter and disinfectants, pool waters contain sweat, hair, skin, urine, and consumer products such as cosmetics and sunscreens from swimmers."

These byproducts are often nitrogen-rich and may contribute to the generation of nitrogenous disinfection byproducts and when mixed with disinfectants, these byproducts may become chemically modified and converted into more toxic agents, Plewa says.

These disinfection byproducts can mutate genes, induce birth defects, accelerate the aging process, cause respiratory ailments, and even induce cancer after long-term exposures, the study says.

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