Thanks for the post. I think we can agree that the first priority should be protecting swimmers against germs while still considering the effect on the environment. Some of the alternatives you’ve mentioned operate by disinfecting the water as it flows through the system, but not throughout the pool as it comes into contact with contaminants. Chlorine will continuously disinfect throughout the entire pool. In addition, while you’ve advocated salt pools here, they actually employ the same chemistry as chlorine pools— using electricity and salt (sodium chloride) to produce chlorine, which then disinfects the pool (the Casual Living article alludes to this). Other disinfection methods should only be used to supplement chlorine, not to replace it.

As for the possible link between asthma and chlorine, there’s an article on Asthma Mom (http://bit.ly/1508Be) which clarifies what recent research has found. Past studies made a potential connection between children with asthma and chlorine, but more recent studies have shown that there’s simply not enough evidence to support that conclusion. I hope you find this helpful!

Best Regards,
Jeff

Jeff Sloan
American Chemistry Council