Abstract
Previous research has shown that volatile disinfection byproducts (DBPs) can adversely affect the human respiratory system. As a result, swimming pool water treatment processes can play important roles in governing water and air quality. Thus, it was hypothesized that water and air quality in a swimming pool facility can be improved by renewing or enhancing one or more components of water treatment. This study is designed to identify and quantify changes in water and air quality that are associated with changes in water treatment at an indoor chlorinated swimming pool facility. Reductions in aqueous trichloramine (NCl3) concentration were observed following the use of secondary oxidizer with its activator. This inclusion also resulted in significant decreases in the concentrations of cyanogen chloride (CNCl) in pool water. The concentration of urea, a compound that is common in swimming pools and that functions as an important precursor to NCl3 formation, as well as a marker compound for the introduction of contaminants by swimmers, was also reduced after the addition of the activator. Concentrations of gas-phase NCl3 did not decrease after the treatment processes were changed. The collection of long-term water and air quality measurements also allowed for an assessment of the effects of bather load on water and air quality. In general, the concentrations of urea (an NCl3 precursor), liquid-phase NCl3, and gas-phase NCl3 all increased during periods of high swimmer number.
Highlights
Swimming is a year-around activity in temperate and cold regions due to the construction of indoor pool facilities
Numerous organic-N compounds that are found in body fluids have been identified as precursors of volatile disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are common in swimming pools
The lower liquid-phase concentrations of these compounds apparently depended on the presence of the secondary oxidant, as increases in the concentrations of these DBPs were seen once the secondary oxidant feed was discontinued
Summary
Swimming is a year-around activity in temperate and cold regions due to the construction of indoor pool facilities. Chlorine is known to react with various organic and inorganic compounds to produce disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in swimming pools [3]. Chlorine has been demonstrated to react with several compounds that are attributed to the (poor) hygiene practices of swimmers, leading to the formation of DBPs in chlorinated pools. Numerous organic-N compounds that are found in body fluids (sweat, urine, and saliva) have been identified as precursors of volatile DBPs that are common in swimming pools. These precursor compounds include urea, creatinine, amino acids, and uric acid [3,6,7]. Several gas-phase DBPs in indoor pool air have been associated with adverse health effects among swimmers and pool workers [4,8,9,10,11]
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