Swimming Pool Worker Dermatoses

Abstract

Swimming-pool cleaners are a population conspicuously absent from the dermatologic and occupational medicine literature, although there are several ways in which these workers are at risk of occupational skin disease. On a daily basis, pool cleaners handle a variety of chemicals that are potentially hazardous to the skin. The aquatic environment with which the pool cleaner comes into contact aids in the transmission of infectious agents and potential contact allergens and irritants. When workers clean outdoor pools, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation may contribute to skin cancer. Despite these risks, no studies on the skin problems that pool cleaners experience has ever been performed. Good safety practice on the job may prevent such diseases in the first place or a lack of awareness that this population might be at risk may account for the absence in the dermatological literature. For the most part, there can only be hypotheses of the dermatoses that pool cleaners get, culled from reactions seen in the general population.