❋ Detoxcellence

Chlorinated Pool Water

Frequent indoor chlorinated-pool swimming.

67Low burden · out of 100
Cleaner swapRinse before and after; well-ventilated or saltwater pools

How this score is built

  1. 100Start
  2. 86.2Chemical hazard 3 × 4.6−13.8
  3. 72.6Everyday exposure 4 × 3.4−13.6
  4. 67Persistence 2 × 2.6−5.2, then rounded to 67
  5. LowThe band67 sits in 60–79.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
InputRatingEvidence
Chemical hazard3/10unsourced input
Everyday exposure4/10

  • In 49 adults who swam 40 minutes in an indoor chlorinated pool, trihalomethanes in exhaled breath were seven times higher after swimming; higher brominated by-products were associated with more micronucleated lymphocytes and higher urine mutagenicity.

    Genotoxic effects in swimmers exposed to disinfection by-products in indoor swimming pools · Environ Health Perspect 2010

    DOI 10.1289/ehp.1001959 · PMID 20833606 · Abstract, Results · read 2026-10-21

Persistence2/10unsourced input

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

Chlorine reacts with sweat and skin oils to form disinfection by-products you absorb and inhale, worst in poorly ventilated indoor pools. Showering first and good ventilation help.

Evidence strength: moderate

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