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Is the water clean?

Swimming is great for all-around fitness training but what are the affects of public facilities on your health? To judge the cleanliness of the water, look at the pool. It should have a clear bluish hint and should not have a strong chlorine odor, which usually signals the presence of chloramines. Chloramines form when ammonia and nitrogen compounds are introduced in the water from sources such as sweat, urine, saliva, and fecal matter. (The scientific formula is: kids = urine = nitrogen + chlorine = chloramines.) If you experience breathing difficulties when exposed to airborne chloramines in indoor chlorinated pools, you may want to consider swimming at outdoor pools, or at the beach.

Be a good pool citizen and take a shower before jumping in any pool or beach swimming area. Too many people don’t and they spread germs that cause recreational water illness (RWI). The most common RWI is diarrhea which affects thousands of people who accidentally swallow infected water found in pools, spas, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can cause a variety of illnesses including respiratory, diarrhea, skin, eyes, ears and wound infections. Germs can live for hours, even days, in chlorinated water, so you should always avoid swallowing any water that people swim in.

While chlorine remains a necessary evil (for now), it does dry out the hair and skin. Here’s a tip: before swimming in salt or chlorinated water, shower and wet your hair thoroughly. Your hair is like a sponge and there is only so much water it can absorb. The wetter your hair is before you swim, the less... Sign-up Above to Read More!

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