The World Aquatic Health Conference was held in Denver on October 18-20 and it continues to be the premier science and education conference of the aquatic industry. My presentation on “The Relationship Between Organic Load, Disinfection Byproducts and Sphagnum Moss” was just one of many talks on the growing interest, and concern, about disinfection byproducts in recreational water and the surrounding air. In fact, during the two days of the Advanced Chemistry track, seven of the nine presentations were either about the contaminants found in swimming pools and/or the dynamics of disinfection byproduct production and presence in the water and air of natatoriums.
In addition to my presentation on Thursday, Dr. Darla Goeres spoke about the importance of biofilm in recreational water and Dr. Laura Suppes discussed the sources of personal care products and pharmaceuticals in swimming pools. On Friday, the entire Advanced Chemistry track was dedicated to Dr. Ernest Blatchley and his four presentations covering various aspects of disinfection byproduct chemistry and air quality. Topics included chlorine chemistry, the effects of UV treatment, the factors affecting air quality in indoor pools, and mixing in indoor pool facilities.
In addition to the specific topics of each presentation, there was also discussion about how these toxic byproducts lead to unhealthy air and water quality as well as the growing body of evidence demonstrating how increases in the incidence of asthma and possibly other diseases are associated with exposure to these byproducts.
The presence of organic contamination levels in recreational water and how it directly relates to the production of toxic disinfection byproducts is now generally recognized as a significant health hazard to swimmers and facility staff. The best way to reduce the production of disinfection byproducts is to reduce the organic load within a body of water. It is the organics within the pool that are the source of the disinfection byproducts. Using The Mossä will reduce the organic contamination swimming pools and spas leading to improved water and air quality.