Your health is everything, chlorine is use in swimming pools, drink water, wheat, dairy and other food products. When it comes to swimming if you have a choice choose the ocean over the pool. Why? Chlorine can be an incredibly dangerous chemical with constant exposure. While pools have low and safe amounts, it adds up over time. Your skin absorbs +70% of what you put on it. This means your skin and body sucks up that chlorine. Leaving you dry, rashed and not quite yourself.
Chlorine and cancer
In 1992 the Medical College of Wisconsin released a study specifically on the health effects of tap water. The results showed a sharp increase in bladder cancer (9%)and rectal cancer (18%) due to chlorination. They compared individuals who drank chlorinated water to those who did not. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin estimated that this results in 20,000 new cases of cancer a year in the United States.Trust your gut
Drinking chlorinated water destroys your beneficial intestinal or gut flora essential for your physical and mental health. This has resulted in a huge increase in taking probiotics. Many have started eating fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchee to restore and replenish gut flora.There has been less discussion about the results of chlorine exposure to the skin. Chlorine contamination can diminish vitamin E, vitamin C and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the skin. This can potentially result in eye and skin irritations.
Teens in chlorinated pools
A pediatric study found that teens were eight times at risk of developing asthma or allergies if they spent more than 1,000 hours swimming in chlorinated pools. They compared them to kids who usually swam in pools using a copper-silver disinfecting method. The risks more than doubled for hay fever and other allergies with significant exposure to chlorinated pools.Showering or bathing in hot water may be especially bad because the hot water opens your pores right up. This helps to increase the absorption of the chlorine. Steamy water also accelerates the off-gassing (evaporation) of chlorine into the air where you can inhale it. According to some studies you might inhale 50 percent more chlorine during a hot shower than in a cold pool!
Removing chlorine, restoring health
The good news is that all Best Water ionizers and filters remove chlorine from your drinking water so that your water is as clean and fresh as nature intended it to be. You may already be enjoying the benefits of a water ionizer for your drinking water but you’re wondering what can you do with your bath and shower?The Ultra pHresh declorinating showerhead and filter and the Vita C shower filter both remove chlorine and chloramines from your shower water. They also shower you with vitamin C infused water that is good for your skin and hair. Many customers have reported that the shower filters help with various health issues.
Vitamin C in the bathtub
If you still enjoy a good soak in the tub, consider using Vitabath declorination tablets. They are effervescent vitamin C tablets composed of ascorbic acid, citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. This powerful formula is designed to neutralize chlorine and chloramines in baths, hot tubs or spas. These tablets are superior to other bathwater chlorine neutralizers, because others only get rid of the chlorine. However they are not usually able to get rid of chloramines, which are harder to remove and even more toxic than chlorine.Vitamin C is known for strengthening the immune system and as an excellent nutrient for skin and hair. It is not toxic to humans and is safe for the tenderest skin.
The Effects of Chlorine on Your Hair
It turns your hair green! Just kidding, but this is a common chlorine myth. The green color that may arise is actually from copper in your hair that has been oxidized by chlorine. Over time, chlorine has damaging effects on your hair. Your hair and scalp have natural oils that are necessary to keep your hair strong and healthy. Chlorine removes these essential oils, leading to damaged and dried-out hair.Ways to Protect Your Hair from Chlorine
- Wet your hair before entering the pool
- Wear a swim cap
- Apply essential oils to your hair and scalp
- Rinse your hair after swimming in a chlorinated pool
The Effects of Chlorine on Your Skin
Similar to your hair, your skin contains natural oils that help your skin stay hydrated and smooth. Chlorine removes these oils and can leave you with dry skin, rashes, and, in extreme cases, even burns. Chlorine strips away essential oils from your skin and opens your skin’s pores, causing dry skin. Prolonged exposure to chlorine can cause rashes on your skin which can turn into blisters if they come into further contact with chlorine. If your pool contains too much chlorine, it is possible to get chlorine burns, so be sure to measure your pool’s chlorine levels regularly.
