Chlorinated Pool Attendance and Childhood Asthma Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Bernard Alfred, Carbonnelle Sylviane, de Burbure Claire, Michel Olivier, Nickmilder Marc
Primary Institution: Department of Public Health, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
Hypothesis
The rise in childhood asthma in developed countries may be partly due to increased exposure to toxic gases from indoor chlorinated pools.
Conclusion
Regular attendance at indoor chlorinated pools is associated with a higher likelihood of developing asthma and airway inflammation in children.
Supporting Evidence
- Attendance at chlorinated pools was one of the strongest predictors of asthma risk after atopy and family history.
- Children with higher serum IgE levels showed a significant increase in asthma risk with increased pool attendance.
- Elevated exhaled nitric oxide levels were associated with chlorinated pool attendance, indicating airway inflammation.
Takeaway
Kids who swim a lot in chlorinated pools might get asthma because of the chemicals in the air there.
Methodology
The study involved questionnaires, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction tests, and measurements of exhaled nitric oxide and serum IgE in schoolchildren aged 10-13.
Potential Biases
Response or selection bias was minimized by using objective outcome measures and recruiting a homogeneous population.
Limitations
The study could not perform skin prick tests due to time constraints, and the response rate was lower than in other studies.
Participant Demographics
The study included 341 children (172 boys and 169 girls) with a mean age of 11.5 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0027
Confidence Interval
1.10–1.43
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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