The need for disinfection of swimming pool water is not disputed, and lack of disinfection would result in unacceptable health risks to swimmers. At the same time, research has shown that the disinfection process results in the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) to which humans are exposed while swimming. The specific DBPs formed depend on several factors, including the type of disinfectant used and the conditions of the swimming pool. While individuals with certain health conditions (e.g., asthma) are advised to obtain exercise from swimming, a series of recent articles has suggested the potential for by-products from common disinfectants used in indoor swimming pools to cause adverse effects on the respiratory tract in swimmers, especially in children. However, these same study results highlight important data gaps that must be filled in order to determine whether there are unacceptable respiratory health risks due to DBPs in swimming pool air. To fully understand the relationship between the pool environment and asthma, more information is needed on (i) concentrations of environmental chemicals in swimming pool air, (ii) a better understanding of other factors in the pool environment that may be associated with respiratory effects, (iii) a harmonized method for evaluating ‘cases’ and ‘controls’ for asthma, especially in young children, and (iv) identifying mechanisms for collecting data critical to understanding this issue (i.e., appropriate study designs). In an effort to improve our understanding of children’s exposure to environmental chemicals in the swimming pool environment, in particular, those chemicals associated with water disinfection and with potential respiratory effects, a series of reviews were conducted by various experts. These reviews formed the scientific background for an Expert Panel convened for a Workshop on Advancing the Science: Childhood Asthma and Environmental Exposures at Swimming Pools. The objective of the Expert Panel was to identify critical questions about improving future studies. The Expert Panel was comprised of scientists with recognized research experience in relevant fields, from public, private, and/or academic sectors. The findings, conclusions, and recommendations from the Expert Panel’s deliberations have been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The results from the Workshop will be presented. Judy S. LaKind, Ph.D., President of LaKind Associates, LLC, Adjunct Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, is a health and environmental scientist with expertise in strategic risk management, assessment of human health risks, biomonitoring, scientific and technical analysis for regulatory and litigation support, state-of-the-science reviews, and environmental regulatory review. Dr. LaKind has spoken and published extensively on risk-related issues, including children’s exposures to environmental chemicals, the implications of uncertainty in the risk assessment process, weighing potential risks and benefits related to chemical use (for example, use of MTBE in gasoline, glycols in de-icing formulations, and chlorination of drinking water for zebra mussel control), the presence of environmental chemicals in human milk, and time-dependence and distributional analysis of exposure. Dr. LaKind has evaluated the use of human health risk assessment in the development of water quality criteria, and has critically analyzed the environmental fate, behavior, and bioavailability of pollutants in the context of setting regulatory criteria. Previously, Dr. LaKind was a geologist at the US EPA’s Office of Federal Activities, where she was responsible for the evaluation of Environmental Impact Statements and legislative reports. Dr. LaKind has taught graduate level courses at The John Hopkins University in risk assessment and aquatic chemistry and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
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