Dying to jump in but allergic to liquid chlorine?
The advantages of sanitizing the pool with salt are numerous. Next to important benefits such as effectiveness and savings one aspect is the vital of all - health! Salt chlorinators can provide a solution for those who are sensitive to liquid chlorine's side effects and those who are allergic to it.
The allergic reaction to liquid chlorine can manifest in various symptoms, amongst them - skin irritation, itchiness, and sniffles up to breathing problems of various levels. The allergic reaction does not usually appear immediately after exposure; symptoms are typically felt a few hours after being in contact with the chlorine. A doctor specializing in allergies can diagnose if in fact the allergy is to liquid chlorine, weather is it light or severe and according to the harshness of the symptoms recommend a course of treatment.
"The skin irritation was so severe; I had to 'spend' hours in a cold shower"
S., is a 43 year old swimmer that remembers 'living' in the pool. "As a child, I never had problems with liquid Chlorine. I used to spend hours in the pool, swimming, until the chlorine smell would stick to my body". Five years ago, she decided to get back to the pool and joined a 'Masters' team, a group of adults training together. "During the first two years everything was normal. In the midst of the third year, I noticed that I leave the pool with an annoying itch. It started sporadically around the neck. With additional exposures over the year the condition worsened. I had to begin taking medication before and after practice. A number of times I found myself experiencing such a severe and extensive allergic reaction that I spent hours in the shower with cold water running over me. Even that did not create the relief I was yearning for. After seeing a few doctors, they all determined there is not much that can be done - I have developed an allergic reaction to chlorine".
"The community pool in the place I live in is sanitized using a salt chlorinator. Here, it doesn't matter how many times I swim during the week, I never experience an allergic reaction, never itch nor have skin irritation. This enables me to swim at home during the summer and go back to swimming in a normal pool during winter while 'enjoying' various medications that sometime help and other times not so much".
From S's experience, there is no doubt that salt sanitation is the ultimate solution for those who wish to enjoy a quality swimming experience without compromising the health of the bathers. Salt chlorinators produce natural chlorine by applying low voltage electrical current that converts the salty water into water with free chlorine that kills organic matters in the pool, without the common side effects that are associated with liquid chlorine. These include: Itchy, dry skin, burning, red eyes and the fear of creating or worsening an allergic reaction.
