Pool and Hot Tub Safety
Is that pool or hot tub as clean as you think it is?
Video transcript:
Jumping in a cool pool may be a great feeling when the sun is beating down on you… but that water that feels so pleasant may contain some not so pleasant compounds.
A new study from the American Chemical Society found while disinfectants like chlorine kill pathogens, they also react with sweat, urine and other substances forming disinfection byproducts. The researchers sampled water from public and private hot tubs and pools after both normal and intense use. They discovered more than 100 disinfection byproducts in the water and tested them in a lab to see if they caused any damage to cells. On average, pool samples were nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to change the genetic material of the cells than the original tap water used to fill them. Samples from hot tubs were about 4 times more likely to cause damage.
The authors say there are ways to reduce disinfection byproducts… by cleaning facilities and changing water more frequently, by encouraging swimmers to shower before jumping in and by using toilets when needed.
I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV…with the news doctors are reading – health news that matters to you.
