Swimming Pools, Chlorine and Toxins

by Felicia A. Williams

One of the concerns I had as an above ground pool owner, is what does all that chlorine do to the folks swimming in the pool? Chlorine is great for fighting harmful bacteria and keeping the pool water clear, but what does it do to our bodies?

Chlorine and Skin

A strong concentration of chlorine bleaches our clothes or anything it comes into contact with. Chlorine is an oxidizing agent. Excessive exposure to chlorinated water in high concentrations contribute to skin aging and wrinkles.

Our skin, which is the body's largest organ, when submerged in a pool full of chlorinated water takes on a sponge-like quality and absorbs some of the chlorine. The oxidizing chlorine once absorbed through the skin maintains its oxidizing property and affects anything it comes into contact with.

Vitamin C to the Rescue

Imagine my delight when my research led me to vitamin C. Good old ascorbic acid neutralizes chlorine. Diluting vitamin C in water and spritzing it on the skin neutralizes topical chlorine. Ingesting vitamin C a few times a day neutralizes the chlorine that makes it into the body.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out this article by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Reserve, Using Vitamin C To Neutralize Chlorine in Water Systems . Even more informative and within the scope of chlorinated swimming pools, read this post, How to Reduce the Risk from Swimming in Chlorinated Pools and Drinking Chlorinated Water and listen to the associated podcast.

Test it Yourself

The links referenced above are only two of the many sites that prove the effectiveness of vitamin C as a chlorine neutralizer. If you don’t believe them, do your own test. Take a sample of your pool water and test the chlorine levels. Once you’ve established the chlorine level, add vitamin C to the sample. After adding the C, test the chlorine levels again. The amount of C necessary to dilute the chlorine depends on the amount of chlorine in the sample.

For the quickest results, use powdered ascorbic acid.

About the Author: Felicia Williams is a wife, mother and grandmother who likes to write about a host of topics.

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: HouseholdTidbits.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Comments: If you wish to comment, leave a tip or have questions about an article, please email me at comments[@]householdtidbits[.]com. Understand, however, that if you do send a valid tip, comment or question, it may be added to the comment section. Don't fret if you don't see a comment section. I create them on an as-needed basis (spam is automatically deleted).

Last Modified: 24 March 2020