ASTHMA TRIGGERS: POOLS, STRESS, NURSERIES?
“We would
advise parents
of children with
asthma not to
worry about
letting their
child go
swimming,
unless they
develop asthma
symptoms in
the pool
environment”
Asthma has hit the headlines again over the last
couple of months with at least three new studies
being released on potential triggers and risk factors
associated with the condition.
“Children who regularly use indoor swimming pools
are more likely to develop asthma,” reported The
Daily Mail. This comes from Belgian research that
claims that the chlorine used in pools can increase
children’s risk of asthma up to six-fold. Rates of
hayfever and other allergies were also believed to
increase. The increase in the risk was linked to the
longer number of hours spent in pools. Toxicology
Professor, Alfred Berhard who led the research,
published in the medical journal Pediatrics, said:
“There is little doubt that pool chlorine is an
important factor.”
“One in 11 children in the UK has
asthma so studies like this are vital”
The NHS saw this report as reasonable evidence
that pool chlorine could be a factor associated with
various allergies. However, it is not yet clear how
important a factor it is.
Responding to the new research, other experts point
out that asthma is triggered as a result of numerous
genetic and environmental factors so more research
is needed before we conclude that there is a definite
link between asthma and swimming pool chemicals.
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at
Asthma UK, said: “There are a few studies which
suggest that the chemicals present in indoor
swimming pools, like chlorine, may be involved in
the development or worsening of asthma and other
allergic conditions. This is due to the fact that the
chemicals in the water may compromise protective
cell barriers within the lungs, meaning people with
allergic asthma are more vulnerable to allergens.”
The team followed 2,497 five to nine year-old healthy
children and recorded how they may have developed
asthma over a three year period. 130 children did
develop asthma over the time. Professor Rob
McConnell, leader of the US study, (published in The
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences),
concluded that children from stressful households
are: “more susceptible to the effects of traffic-related
pollution and cigarettes.”
Asthma UK said: “This study adds to existing
evidence suggesting that a child's environment can
impact on their risk of developing asthma. One in
11 children in the UK has asthma so studies like this
are vital, as they provide an insight into the factors
influencing asthma development and therefore how
it might be prevented.”
Yet another study published in September looked
into the effect of attendance at daycare on the
prevention of asthma and allergies. Whilst previous
studies have suggested that nurseries help children
build up a resistance to asthma, this recent study
that followed 4,000 children from before birth to
eight years in the Netherlands concluded that they:
“found no evidence for a protective or harmful effect
of daycare on the development of asthma
symptoms” at eight years old.
Says the NHS: “Asthma has a number of different
causes, including hereditary factors, exposure to
allergens such as pets and dust mites, infections
and environmental factors including household
smoke and other irritants. Whether or not a child
is sent to daycare is likely to, at most, have only
a limited effect on whether the child goes on to
develop asthma.”