OBJECTIVE. Irritant gases and aerosols contaminating the air of indoor swimming pools can affect the lung epithelium and increase asthma risk in children. We evaluated the impact of infant swimming practice on allergic status and respiratory health later in childhood.METHODS. Clara cell protein, surfactant-associated protein D, and total and aeroallergen-specific immunoglobulin E were measured in the serum of 341 schoolchildren aged 10 to 13 years, among whom 43 had followed an infant swimming program. Asthma was defined as doctor-diagnosed asthma and/or positive exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (15% decrease in postexercise forced expiratory volume).RESULTS. There were no significant differences between the infant swimming group and the other children regarding the levels of exhaled nitric oxide and total or aeroallergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E. Children who swam as infants showed, by contrast, a significant decrease of serum Clara cell protein and of the serum Clara cell protein/surfactant-associated protein D ratio integrating Clara cell damage and permeability changes of the lung epithelial barrier. These effects were associated with higher risks of asthma and of recurrent bronchitis. Passive exposure to tobacco alone had no effect on these outcomes but seemed to interact with infant swimming practice to increase the risk of asthma or of recurrent bronchitis.CONCLUSIONS. Our data suggest that infant swimming practice in chlorinated indoor swimming pools is associated with airways changes that, along with other factors, seem to predispose children to the development of asthma and recurrent bronchitis.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to estimate the burden of allergic diseases associated with chlorinated pool exposure among adolescents.

Exposure of the human population to chlorination products has considerably increased during the 20th century especially after the 1960s with the development of public and leisure pools. The present article summarizes current knowledge regarding the human exposure to chlorination products and reviews studies suggesting that these chemicals might be involved in the development or exacerbation of allergic diseases. Populations regularly in contact with chlorination products such as swimmers, lifeguards or workers using chlorine as cleaning or bleaching agent show increased risks of allergic diseases or of respiratory disorders frequently associated with allergy. Experimental evidence suggests that chlorination products promote allergic sensitization by compromising the permeability or the immunoregulatory function of epithelial barriers. These findings led to the chlorine hypothesis proposing that the rise of allergic diseases could result less from the declining exposure to microbial agents (the hygiene hypothesis) than from the increasing and largely uncontrolled exposure to products of chlorination, the most widely used method to achieve hygiene in the developed world. Giving the increasing popularity of water recreational areas, there is an obvious need to assess the effects of chlorine-based oxidants on human health and their possible implication in the epidemic of allergic diseases.

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Recent studies suggest that swimming in chlorinated pools during infancy may increase the risks of lower respiratory tract infection. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of swimming in chlorinated pools on the risks of bronchiolitis and its late consequences.A total of 430 children (47% female; mean age 5.7 yrs) in 30 kindergartens were examined. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding the child’s health history, swimming practice and potential confounders.Attendance at indoor or outdoor chlorinated pools ever before the age of 2 yrs was associated with an increased risk of bronchiolitis (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.08–2.68; p = 0.03), which was exposure-dependent for both types of pool (p-value for trend 20 h spent in chlorinated pools during infancy. Infant swimmers who developed bronchiolitis also showed higher risks of asthma and respiratory allergies later in childhood.Swimming pool attendance during infancy is associated with a higher risk of bronchiolitis, with ensuing increased risks of asthma and allergic sensitisation.