The Dangers of Pool Chemicals

Swimming pool water treatment is necessary in order to ensure that pool water is free from Algae and other nasty microbiological contaminants. Untreated water can result in disease producing microorganisms causing nasty and often dangerous infections.

Pool water gets contaminated from a number of sources, including the bathers who use the pool. It is vitally important that swimming pool water is regularly tested and treated to ensure that it is safe for bathing. Unfortunately the Pool Chemicals that are used to treat pools present a few hazards of their own.

There are a number of well documented cases of incidents involving swimming pool chemicals. There have been a number of cases of fire, smoke and vapours created as a result of swimming pool chemicals becoming mixed. There have even been cases of explosions caused by incorrect disposal of pool chemicals and there are numerous cases of personal injury caused by pool chemicals.

One common injury arises as a result of people inhaling fumes when opening a container of pool chemicals for the first time. Another common cause of injury has been when people have attempted to pre-dissolve the chemicals in a small amount of water. One of the most common causes of injury occurs as a result of people splashing themselves or having chemicals splash into their eyes.

While pool chemicals perform an important function in making swimming pool water safe to use they are clearly hazardous to handle. It is vitally important that they are used in the correct dosage to ensure that bathers are safe to use the water.

Some pool chemicals can be highly reactive and, if improperly handled or stored, capable of creating very high temperatures and toxic fumes. Reactivity can be triggered by wetting the chemicals or mixing with other pool chemicals. Some are even time sensitive and can become reactive simply due to their age.

Under normal conditions most swimming pool chemicals are intended to be added to very large quantities of water. If a small amount of water gets mixed with some pool chemicals an unwanted reaction can occur resulting in heat and the release of very toxic vapours. Even a small amount of water can cause a very serious reaction. This is why it is imperative that swimming pool chemicals are stored carefully.

Another common cause of problems with swimming pool chemical use is mixing them. Most swimming pool chemicals are actually incompatible with one another. Mixing incompatible chemicals will potentially result in a reaction that can produce high temperatures that can even ignite combustible materials. Mixing problems of this type have even occurred when new chemicals are mixed with old of exactly the same type.

Clearly the handling and use of swimming pool chemicals needs to be treated with caution. There has been an explosion in the installation of easy set above ground swimming pools in gardens and yards. This means that many people are coming into contact with pool chemicals for the first time when they treat the water in their new Intext pools. If you are a new pool owner with no experience in handling and using swimming pool Pool Chemicals it is recommended that you take some advice from professionals who will guide you in the choice of appropriate chemicals, how to flush your pool pump and filtration system and and how to safely treat your pool water.