INFORMATION ABOUT CHLORINE --
YOUR HEALTH AND COSMETIC PROBLEMS

Chlorine and cancer. According to the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality, "Cancer risk among people using chlorinated water is as much as 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine."

Chlorine and other harmful chemicals vaporize into the air. This is a concern with swimming pools, from showering and from bathing. The U.S. EPA states that: "Elevated levels of chloroform gas can be detected in virtually every American home due to chlorine in shower water …"

Chlorine and fatigue and mucus build up in the lungs: When chlorine vaporizes and combines with other organic compounds in the air it becomes "chloroform gas,” a strong irritant to the tissues in our lungs. Chloroform gas causes fatigue and mucus buildup in the lungs.

Chlorine and asthma: Inhalation of chlorine and chemical vapors is a suspected cause of asthma and bronchitis. When chemicals are inhaled into our lungs, they enter directly into our bloodstream and can have magnified effects as opposed to ingested chemicals, which are partially filtered by digestion.

A recent study showed that over 1/4 of the United States Olympic swim team members suffer from some degree of asthma due to chlorine inhalation.

In fact, many doctors now even recommend shower filters or whole-home filters for people with asthma and other respiratory problems (see pureNclean's shower filters in residential water filter section of this web site) To illustrate the point, the first shower filter was invented after a Texas family discovered that their six-month-old son's "chronic asthma" was actually sensitivity to chlorine vapors.

Chlorine and damage to skin and hair: Chlorine not only does harm to our body when inhaled but is also absorbed through the skin. It strips the natural protective oils from skin and hair and causes excess dryness to the skin and the hair. Chlorine is a strong oxidant and causes damage to skin and hair even at very low levels.

"Up to 2/3 of the harmful effects of chlorine are due to inhalation and skin absorption…."
The American Journal Of Public Health

Chlorine, cell damage, hardening of the arteries … and heart disease: There is a lot of well-founded concern about chlorine. When chlorine is added to our water, it combines with other natural compounds to form Trihalomethanes (chlorination byproducts), or THMs. These chlorine by-products trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic. Chlorine is also suspected to contribute to hardening of the arteries, the primary cause of heart disease.

"We are learning the hard way that all the time we thought we were preventing epidemics of one disease, we were creating another. Two decades after the start of chlorinating our drinking water the present epidemic of heart trouble and cancer began."
Dr. Joseph M. Price, PhD

"We have known for a long time that chloramines can trigger, rather than cause asthma."
Ralph Riley, head of the National Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group

Swimming pools, hot tubs and spas are supposed to be for pleasure -- keep it that way. Get unnecessary chlorine out of your life forever. Learn what you can do and why. You’ll discover it’s the right thing for you!