Everyone likes to play in the water.
But swimming pools can present serious hazards for workers.
Chemicals are added to the water to protect our health.
However, these chemicals may evaporate and drift through the air.
Hi it's Laura. Listen, I feel really dizzy.
Yeah, I can't stop coughing and I don't really know what's wrong with me.
All I can smell is chlorine. Yeah...OK.
If you breathe in enough of these chemicals, your health may be affected.
Thanks, bye.
So tell me what happened.
I was on duty and then all of a sudden I started feeling really dizzy and nauseous.
I started coughing a lot, couldn't breathe properly.
And how does your head feel?
It's OK.
OK, I'm going to take your pulse.
Lifeguards and staff in water parks and swimming pools may become sensitized to the chemicals
as they spend many hours around the water.
People are a major source of pollutants in swimming pools.
Ammonia from sweat, urine, and body lotions, such as sunscreen, dissolve in the water
and react with the chlorine.
The ammonia combines with chlorine to form chemicals known as chloramines.
Monochloramine forms when one chlorine atom combines with an ammonia atom.
Monochloramine and a second chlorine atom form dichloramine, which may combine with
a third chlorine atom to form trichloramine.
Both mono and dichloramine remain in the water and are good disinfectants.
However, trichloramine may evaporate from the pool or be released into the air
when water is sprayed or splashed.
Chloramines have a distinctive odour and are responsible for the typical chlorine smell
in the air.
They are irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
Regular pool maintenance can prevent too much chlorine from being released into the water,
and effective ventilation is critical in maintaining clean air for indoor facilities.
Pool chemistry must be checked several times a day and any problems immediately reported.
As the main source of ammonia entering swimming pools is from people, it's important everyone
showers before entering a pool, and pool staff should always remind people.
Showering is also important before entering hot tubs at pools and gyms.
Pool staff who are exposed to chloramines over long periods of time may develop
allergic sensitivities.
Anyone sensitized will react to much lower levels of the chemicals.
I would recommend that you see your doctor today, OK?
OK.
If you do become sensitized to chloramines, you may no longer be able to work in water parks
or around swimming pools.
For more information about pool safety, go to WorkSafeBC.com.