Chlorine is a very useful and very commonly used chemical not only in the world of swimming pools, but in your everyday lives as well. Chlorine can be found all around you at any given point in your daily routine.
Dish soaps, laundry detergent and even drinking water can contain levels of chlorine. In the same way that chlorine helps keep your above ground swimming pool’s water sparkling clear; it can also do the same for our clothes and dishes.
Misconceptions
There are a lot of common misconceptions about chlorine and what it can do to you or your swimming pool. The most common of these is probably the idea that the smell of chlorine means that there is too much in the swimming pool. This is not true. A strong smell of chlorine means that the chlorine is combining or bonding itself with nitrogenous products in your water that forms what we knows as chlorine.
The fact is that properly adjusted water chemistry has no smell, and does not bother the eyes.
Does Chlorine Cause Green Hair?
Another common myth we hear about chlorine is if you swim too much, your blonde hair will turn green because of the chlorine. The actual reason your hair turns colors has nothing to do with chlorine. It’s caused by the alkalinity in the pool mixing with copper in the water. Copper enters the water through pipes and coils or filtration equipment. Alkalinity of the water pulls in the metals. Usually shampoo makes the green hair worse because of the alkaline levels included in most shampoos.
Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is another myth that is thought to be caused by too much swimming in chlorinated water. Actually, swimmer’s ear is caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa – a common pathogen in pools. If your pool is unsanitary, you’re likely to incur problems. People can suffer itchy skin or rashes because of unsanitary pools.
So don’t be afraid of chlorine–it’s your friend when it comes to your above ground swimming pool.
