(0:41) Welcome
Welcome back to the Paleo View!
On this week's episode, we will be discussing chlorine and the science behind what the exposure to chlorine does and how to detox
Sarah noted that this is a complex topic that doesn't have straightforward answers
Before we dive in, a big thank you to Joovvfor sponsoring this week's show
While Stacy and Sarah will be sharing more information on Joovv as the show goes on, check them out here: https://joovv.com/paleoview



(3:25) The Downsides & Upsides
It is important to start the discussion of the downsides of chlorination with a discussion of the upsides
Chlorination is used across the globe as the number one way to disinfect pools
It is an amazing killer of microbes
Before chlorination of pools was a normal procedure, really harmful illnesses were transmitted through pools
Recreational Water Illnesses include a wide variety of infections, such as gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, andwoundinfections. The most commonly reported RWI isdiarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses are caused by germs such as Crypto

Chlorination is an amazing tool for making sure that swimming pools are safe from a micro perspective

It does come at a bit of a trade-off though
Because chlorine interacts with organic molecules, there is a variety of by-products that are chlorine based molecules that are formed and are potentially problematic
monochloramines
dichloramines
i Trichloramines
trihalogenometans (THM)
haloacetic acid (HAA)

There are other halogens that have been used to disinfect pools, but they all also cause similar by-products
There is an obvious solution
There is a move to create new filtration systems though
One of the things that happen with these chlorine by-products is that they are evaporating off the surface of the water and they are all oxidants
The mechanism behind a lot of the issues that they cause are all oxidative damage
They are highest in the air just above the surface of the water
There is a move to create air filtration systems in public pools, especially where elite athletes train


A lot of the research stems from studies on elite swimmers
They have typically double the asthma rates of the average population

There is this really interesting give and take that has to do with the chloramine
The amount of chloramine in the air is very different depending on the pool you are swimming in

Most of the science has to do with asthma and other lung issues
Elite athletes, in general, have higher rates of asthma and higher rates of lung infections
We see this in swimmers, cyclists, triathletes, and long-distance runners
Chlorine is not awesome because it is a toxic chemical
These low levels of chlorine exposure that we are getting through chlorinated water, assuming the water is treated correctly, are associated with problems
So is elite training though
Take a moment to recognize that while swimmers have higher rates of asthma, so do a lot of elite athletes
That is because this level of training actually suppresses aspects of the immune system and over activates other systems in the body

Other athletes that don't step foot anywhere near a pool also have higher rates of asthma
But chlorine does seem to be a contributor
This is because of the disruption that is happening to the lung barrier





Barrier tissues are made up of a type of cell called an epithelial cell
These cells have a top and a bottom with different processes happening within both the top and bottom
Our skin, lungs, gut barrier and sinuses are made up of epithelial cells
All of these tissues have the job of protecting the inside of our body from things happenings outside of our body
Lungs and gut are different in the sense that they have to be somewhat permeable
So even low levels of toxin exposure in the air above the surface of the pool can potentially disrupt the lung barrier

There are some interesting studies showing that it's not just that someone with a predisposition to asthma has asthma made w