09/14/10
From Breitbart/AFP
Swimming in Spanish
chlorinated pools can lead to cancer
| Swimming in chlorinated pools can cause an increased risk of
cancer in bathers, Spanish researchers said on Monday. Researchers from the Barcelona-based Centre of Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) and Research Institute Hospital del Mar studied changes in indicators of mutagenicity -- permanent mutation of the DNA -- among a group of swimmers in an indoor chlorinated pool. "The evidence of genotoxic effects were observed in 49 healthy adults after swimming for 40 minutes in a chlorinated indoor pool," CREAL said in a statement on Monday. Researchers found indicators of an increase in cancer risk in healthy subjects as well as potential respiratory effects from the cholorine used as a disinfectant, the statement said. The study was published on Sunday in the US journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The co-director of CREAL, Manolis Kogevinas, said the findings should not put people off swimming. "The positive health impacts of swimming can be increased by reducing the levels of these chemicals," he said. "In no case do we want to stop swimming, but to encourage the reduction of chemicals in swimming pools," said Kogevinas, who suggested the problems caused by a reduction in levels of disinfectant could be offset if swimmers showered before taking a dip, wore bathing caps and refrained from urinating.
Don't get your undies in a knot about this warning. In the U.S. we chlorinate our drinking water. It kills off all the amoeba and flagella and viruses and crypto-whatchacallums in the water. When was the last time you heard of someone dying of cholera or dysentery from U.S. drinking water? When was the last Olympic swimmer killed by cancer from a chlorinated pool? Now and then you DO hear of some poor unfortunate who contracts something very unpleasant or fatal from swimming in some nice pond or lake that happened to be home to some kind of micro-organism that likes to invade the human body when given the opportunity. What we have here are Spanish (Leftist-moron) scientists, who probably worship the moon-god algore and believe that CO2 is evil, trying to outlaw chlorine, a known toxic substance. It's not like Spanish water needs any less chlorine in the first place, as any turista can tell you. I think I learned in 4th grade that real scientific studies take longer than 40 minutes and involve more than 49 minutes. Also that it's not nice to pee in the pool.
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