cholorine allergy?

i am a club swimmer who practices 6 days a week for about 2 and a half hours. so about two years ago I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma. the doctor also mentioned it could also be me allergic to chlorine, but me and my mom both doubted it. about 8 months ago I started having frequent headaches, just about everyday. they werent that bad usually but every once in awhile I would get a pretty bad headache. so the other day I go into the chiropractor and I told him how often I get headaches and he looked at me with a very worried face and told me that wasnt normal. so I'm wondering if my symptoms do show an allergy to chlorine or if it is something else. thanks

[trdofbeingtrd]

A doctor can tell you if you are allergic to chlorine for sure. You will want to find this out, if you are not allergic to chlorine, you should go to a neurologist.

[bsmsl]

Chlorine gas is toxic at certain levels.  If the pool is over chlorinated you could be having a reaction to the chlorine, but most likely it is not a true allergy.  I would make sure the the chlorine level is safe first.

In the US, chlorine is used to sanitize our water.  Does that occur where you are?  If so, you should be having reactions to that as well.  

Do you have options to swim at a different pool?  When my daughter swam club we had three choices.  One of them was a bromine pool.  

Take care.

[rabbit5]

Chlorine Allergy and its Symptoms

Most reactions that occur in people after they have been exposed to chlorine are generally mild. However, it is important to recognize allergies, and find ways to manage and prevent them from reoccurring. The following signs of chlorine allergy will help one understand the symptoms as well.

Respiratory Problems: Exposure to chlorine affects the respiratory system of an individual. These people generally suffer from chlorine allergy symptoms mimicking asthma, like wheezing, coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest, and in some extreme cases maybe get a feeling of suffocation.

Watery Eyes: Eyes being very sensitive, get affected or irritated very quickly when exposed to irritants, making this one of the most common chlorine allergy symptoms. When an individual comes in contact with chlorinated water, or the gas variant of chlorine, the eyes get irritated, and start developing swelling, pain, redness, burning and itching. Some people also experience falling of their eye lashes, which is accompanied by constant watering of the eyes.

Skin Dryness: Unusual dryness of the skin is perhaps the first exhibited symptom of chlorine allergy. Dry skin will be felt immediately after a person comes in contact with chlorinated water or household products that include it. The infected area feels tight, itchy and goes red, and in some cases may even begin to peel.

Nausea: An exposed person may feel nauseated and/or vomit, if the quantity of the chlorine one is exposed to is high. Sometimes swallowing or directly breathing in chlorine gases or fumes make a person feel dizzy and also delusional for a short period of time.

Itching: Besides experiencing skin dryness, some may also develop rashes or lesions with or without water in them. This results in itching of the lesion. For most, it develops within an hour of chlorine contact. Generally, the localized rash will disappear within a couple of hours, but if the volume of contact is large, or a continuous one, then the rash can begin to get itchy and the skin may start to peel. Read more on:

    * Allergy: Causes and Symptoms
    * Allergy Relief

Chlorine is an irritant in general, so as soon as one comes in contact with it, one must wash it off, or apply a soothing cream. Most chlorine allergy occurs in people who visit swimming pools very regularly, so make sure you maintain the chlorine level in your swimming pool. Discard clothes that have been washed in detergents that have a high level of chlorine, and take a wash after every swim. Chlorine allergy symptoms are generally not persistent, but its best to see a doctor to rule out any complication that prolonged exposure could cause.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These headaches can be due to allergy to chlorine, sinus headaches or primary headaches ( tension, cluster or migraine). We need to find out whether you are allergic to chlorine. However anything can be said with confirmation only after allergy testing. Skin tests are used for this purpose. This test involves pricking, scratching or injecting food extracts into the patient’s skin. The skin will react with redness and swelling for those extracts capable of eliciting an allergic reaction when consumed.Other tests used are blood tests like RAST.

So please get these tests done from an allergist.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.