Swimming pool chemistry ... not pretty

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# Swimming pool chemistry ... not pretty.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128410569>

With a heat wave scorching the Northeast, a dip in the pool may sound

like just what the doctor ordered. But before diving in, consider the

chemistry. Engineer Ernest Blatchley reveals many things you didn't want

to know about swimming pools and the chemical reactions occurring in them...

Prof. BLATCHLEY: Well, there's a group of chemicals called the

chloramines that are generated by pretty much any chemical in water that

contains nitrogen. That's a bit of a generalization. But there are some

other disinfection byproducts that are generated, for example, cyanogen

chloride, dichloroacetonitrile, the halo forms. These are things that

show up in drinking water as a result of very similar reactions. But not

surprisingly, they end up in swimming pools as well...

~Talk of the Nation, NPR