Chlorine is an effective water disinfectant, but in excess it can be harmful to health and cause asthma and lung damage , according to the National Society for Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery. The effects are worse in children under 3 years of age whose lungs are in full development and are more vulnerable to an irritant such as chlorine.
A study by the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), links its use in swimming pools with the appearance of lung diseases in babies and children with a genetic predisposition to suffer from allergies.
