25 replies to this topic

[Ben]

As chlorine is oxidative (this guy is telling me so) doesn't it stand to reason that going for a swim in a chlorinated pool could be aging the skin?

I love swimming. It's too cold to go to a beach in Melbourne now so my only alternative is a chlorinated public pool. I spend about an hour in it.

Anyone have any knowledge on this or know of any specific studies?

[quarter]

Yeah someone in another thread here recommended a chlorine filter for your shower as the best thing you could do for your hair, I then started looking at such filters but thought to myself what would be the point when I spend a significant amount of time swimming in a chlorinated public pool anyway.

Apologies I didn't answer your question in any way.

[Ben]

Yeah someone in another thread here recommended a chlorine filter for your shower as the best thing you could do for your hair, I then started looking at such filters but thought to myself what would be the point when I spend a significant amount of time swimming in a chlorinated public pool anyway.

Apologies I didn't answer your question in any way.

Hmm good point. I was thinking about getting one of these filters too. I guess removing the chronic exposure to chlorine through the shower with the use of a filter is better than not doing it or forgoing it because occasionally you acutely expose yourself to even higher levels of chlorine.

[Heliotrope]

yeah but it helps to kill the bacteria and other micro-organisms,

think about the trade-off , does the good outweigh harms? Are there much better options /precautions we can take?

Edited by HYP86, 21 May 2008 - 03:16 AM.

[speda1]

yeah but it helps to kill the bacteria and other micro-organisms,

think about the trade-off , does the good outweigh harms? Are there much better options /precautions we can take?

The chlorine is not removed until the water passes through the filter in the showerhead. There are no bacteria or micro-organisms.

You should be showering after swimming in a chlorinated pool anyway. That chlorine sitting on your skin and hair dries it out.

[Ben]

I've solved the problem...

I'm going to swim in a salt water pool from now on. The reason why I was not before is that it is in a very gay suburb and the pool is very small (I'm not a homophobe, but in st kilda you get weird dudes in the changing room).

[caston]

Chlorine is only used because it's cheap. Don't forget that not only does it kill bad microorganisms it can kill good ones inside you as well.
The best way to kill microorganisms in water is with a UV filter.

[Ben]

Ok how the f. do people swim in a salt water pool? I was there doing some laps and I nearly vomited from all the salt. It was horrible. Interestingly when I got out of the pool the water from the fountain tasted so sweet it was like drinking a soft drink.

I'm smelling the back of my hands and they stink like chlorine. Obviously they're topping up the pool with chlorine and salt isn't the only thing fighting bacteria. What a con (This is the St. Kilda Sea Baths by the by).

[caston]

Lol, don't forget public pools are festy for many reasons including that people pee in them....
you can always try the ocean... teaming with billions of virus's and bacteria in every drop

Edited by caston, 26 June 2008 - 12:55 PM.

[Ben]

I don't know if you can generalise when it comes to Melbourne's public pools. I think the st kilda sea baths is the way it is (dirty and the showers smell like feces) because so many bums and druggies go there. I literrally saw someone shaving in the toilets when I was there. Fully naked. It was horrible

The Melbourne Baths however are an excellent example of exactly how a P.P. should be run (that's public pool not private pisshouse). I've never had an issue there. And if the St. Shmilda shmea baths are going to be using chlorine anyway what's the point?


In short stay away from the baths if you're a Melbournian or a tourist in Melbourne.

[VictorBjoerk]

Too much swimming in chlorined pools can't be good.I remember every year when uncovering our swimmingpool in the spring it was always completely full of 100 or maybe even more completely transparent frogs. very disgusting actually they had really no pigment at all and you could see their organs etc,chlorine seems to have some kind of preserving effect as well...

I however wonder how dangerous it really is for short periods..........

[VictorBjoerk]

I don't know exactly how they happened to get into the pool but probably a leak somewhere and as they seek down into holes to hibernate apparently lots of them got down in the pool and were stuck in the water....I however don't understand why there were so many of them...

But that's offtopic..........

[wydell]

Ok how the f. do people swim in a salt water pool? I was there doing some laps and I nearly vomited from all the salt. It was horrible. Interestingly when I got out of the pool the water from the fountain tasted so sweet it was like drinking a soft drink.

I'm smelling the back of my hands and they stink like chlorine. Obviously they're topping up the pool with chlorine and salt isn't the only thing fighting bacteria. What a con (This is the St. Kilda Sea Baths by the by).

I think the salt is typically processesed and the end process is very similar to chlorine. Maybe the NA part of the NACL is removed? I don't really remember any high school chemistry, so if this makes no sense, just ignore.

[caston]

I wonder about Olympic swimming pools. Are these just plain chlorinated or do they do something special with them?
Elite swimmers seem to be doing ok.

[Ben]

Ok how the f. do people swim in a salt water pool? I was there doing some laps and I nearly vomited from all the salt. It was horrible. Interestingly when I got out of the pool the water from the fountain tasted so sweet it was like drinking a soft drink.

I'm smelling the back of my hands and they stink like chlorine. Obviously they're topping up the pool with chlorine and salt isn't the only thing fighting bacteria. What a con (This is the St. Kilda Sea Baths by the by).

I think the salt is typically processesed and the end process is very similar to chlorine. Maybe the NA part of the NACL is removed? I don't really remember any high school chemistry, so if this makes no sense, just ignore.

Yes I was thinking about this. Maybe some of the Chloride becomes liberated from NaCL. I'm also pretty ignorant when it comes to chemistry.

[Ghostrider]

Lol, don't forget public pools are festy for many reasons including that people pee in them....
you can always try the ocean... teaming with billions of virus's and bacteria in every drop

Best solution is to get your own indoor pool and don't chlorinate the water. I used to enjoy swimming in public pools when I was younger, but now I think that's disgusting considering that I used to swim with my eyes open (no goggles). I try to avoid public pools.

Edited by Ghostrider, 27 June 2008 - 08:38 AM.

[caston]

Yes I was thinking about this. Maybe some of the Chloride becomes liberated from NaCL. I'm also pretty ignorant when it comes to chemistry.

They do or did do this... but I believe it happens about 800degrees C.

[graatch]

Haha, yea, not bloody likely IMO.

But umm, yeah, to be honest I've worried about chlorine in pools too. It's too bad I'm such a worrywort, because swimming seems to be probably one of, if not the most, kickass forms of exercise in terms of maintaining leanness.

[Ben]

Yeah, but, umm, you know, like seriously, chlorine and all that.

[caston]

It's probably even worse when you take a hot shower and it all steams up... at some point I will finally get around to ordering and installing a shower filter.

Edited by caston, 28 June 2008 - 12:38 PM.

[Ben]

It's probably even worse when you take a hot shower and it all steams up... at some point I will finally get around to ordering and installing a shower filter.

Yes I need to do this as well some time. If you find a cheap place in Melbourne, please, please, drop me a line.

[spacetime]

Do people actually even bother to test their water to see what the cholrine levels are. Could you use a pool test to guage teh amount of chlorine in one's tap water. I've tried this and there's a neglible, hardly registerable amount. I'm wondering if a filter is really needed. What would be an accepted level in tap water?

[Ben]

Do people actually even bother to test their water to see what the cholrine levels are. Could you use a pool test to guage teh amount of chlorine in one's tap water. I've tried this and there's a neglible, hardly registerable amount. I'm wondering if a filter is really needed. What would be an accepted level in tap water?

Well one thing I know for sure that the water in Melbourne is chlorinated to keep it disinfected. The water in my area also has a very clearly discernible smell and taste of chlorine.

One of the problems is that even if this level of chlorine is very low, it's that your exposure to tap water is chronic unlike in a swimming pool where although the chlorine is much higher the exposure transitory and acute.

The other problem is that in the shower the chlorine is heated and vaporised. This makes it more deadly to the lungs and skin (I can't be bothered tracking down the study that demonstrated this, but it's out there somewhere, perhaps you can hunt it down.)

[caston]

It's probably even worse when you take a hot shower and it all steams up... at some point I will finally get around to ordering and installing a shower filter.

Yes I need to do this as well some time. If you find a cheap place in Melbourne, please, please, drop me a line.

Unlikely because I live in Perth so would be ordering one online

[Ben]

It's probably even worse when you take a hot shower and it all steams up... at some point I will finally get around to ordering and installing a shower filter.

Yes I need to do this as well some time. If you find a cheap place in Melbourne, please, please, drop me a line.

Unlikely because I live in Perth so would be ordering one online

Hum! Well still, give me a bell if you find a place that has a decent product and postage to Aus.

[kurdishfella]

Being in clean water has benefits like better skin, relax etc for 1 hour a day. Avoid pools with people i recommend bath.