Everywhere you turn, chlorine is part of your environment, quietly embedded in your drinking water, shower steam, pool systems and the cleaning products under your sink. It’s praised for its germ-killing power and assumed to be harmless in small doses. But your body tells a different story.
From the outside, chlorine looks like it’s doing its job: disinfecting, sanitizing, sterilizing. But inside your body, it’s interacting with delicate tissues in ways that compromise cellular function, disrupt hormones and irritate your lungs and skin. You might brush off a sore throat after scrubbing a bathroom or chalk up itchy skin to pool chemicals, but these are early warning signs, not minor inconveniences.
People who work around chlorine, like lifeguards, janitors and health care staff, often don’t realize that daily exposure builds up. Even casual swimmers and children experience side effects that seem unrelated at first, from chronic cough to recurring skin rashes. And if you’re not using proper protection, even your household tap water and cleaning routine could be silently wearing down your body’s defenses.
Chlorine Is Toxic At The Cellular Level
According to the Toxicological Profile for Chlorine from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), chlorine is classified as a highly reactive and corrosive gas that damages tissue on contact.1
Even short bursts of high exposure cause immediate injury to your respiratory tract. For people working in water treatment, public sanitation, pool maintenance or chemical manufacturing, the risk is especially dangerous, although even swimming or bathing in chlorinated water poses a risk. Hospital janitors, gym staff, university maintenance crews and those working in sewage or water treatment are among the most at-risk groups.2 Long-term exposure, even in small doses, has been tied to chronic breathing problems, skin damage and even cancer.3
When inhaled, chlorine immediately reacts with the water in your mucous membranes, forming hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids — both corrosive and damaging to delicate lung tissue. This chemical interaction causes burning sensations, coughing, chest tightness and, in some cases, delayed-onset breathing difficulties.
And even low-concentration exposure rewires how your lungs respond to air. According to toxicological data, people exposed to chlorine consistently show hypersensitive airway responses, meaning their lungs overreact to even small irritants like dust or cold air. This creates a vicious cycle of inflammation, swelling and narrowing of airways that mimics asthma, but without any allergic trigger.
A key risk outlined in the report involves household or industrial settings where chlorine is accidentally mixed with ammonia or acidic cleaners. This produces chloramine gas, an even more dangerous compound that causes rapid onset respiratory failure. In this case, what starts as routine cleaning instantly becomes a medical emergency.
Many people clean their homes with bleach-based products in closed spaces like bathrooms or kitchens. Without fans or open windows, that gas accumulates quickly. Breathing it in regularly contributes to the same types of damage seen in workers in chemical-heavy industries.4
6 Simple Swim Habits That Protect Your Skin From Chlorine Damage
Coach Slava Fattakhov, a former professional swimmer and coach, published a step-by-step skin protection guide on his website designed for swimmers, families and anyone regularly exposed to pool water.5 His goal is clear: help people swim often without sacrificing their health. The guide outlines clear, simple routines that reduce chlorine’s drying and irritating effects before, during and after swimming.
Hydrating your skin before swimming makes it less absorbent to pool chemicals. Rinse your body with clean, chlorine-free water before entering the pool, not just for hygiene, but to protect your skin. This initial rinse saturates your skin cells with clean moisture, making it harder for chlorinated water to absorb deeper into your pores. It’s a small habit that reduces chemical exposure every time you swim.
Using a barrier cream or natural oil like pure lanolin helps seal in moisture. Apply a layer of protection before swimming. Simple oils like pure lanolin or coconut act as a physical shield between your skin and the water. These oils slow down chlorine’s ability to strip away your natural oils.
Clothing matters — covering up limits the damage. Swimmers should wear long-sleeved rash guards or full-coverage swimwear. This cuts down the amount of skin directly exposed to chlorinated water. For children and those with eczema-prone skin, this simple swap is one of the most effective, passive ways to prevent irritation.
Getting chlorine off quickly is one of the most important steps. Right after your swim, rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Chlorine keeps reacting with your skin even after you leave the pool, so washing it off immediately stops that process in its tracks. The sooner you rinse, the less chance chlorine has to break down your skin barrier.
Locking in moisture after your swim speeds up recovery. Post-shower, apply a thick, nourishing moisturizer while your skin is still damp. The best moisturizer is pure lanolin, as it helps restore your skin’s barrier function and retain hydration. This is especially important for frequent swimmers or anyone with dry or aging skin.
Stay hydrated inside and out to maintain healthy skin. Internal hydration matters too. Drinking pure, filtered water before and after swimming improves your skin’s resilience from the inside, helping it hold up better against chemical exposure. Even mild dehydration makes your skin more reactive to irritants.
Other Ways To Protect Your Body From Chlorine Exposure
If chlorine exposure is drying out your skin, interfering with your breathing or making your eyes sting every time you swim, it’s time to change your routine. Whether you’re a swimmer, a parent of water-loving children or someone working around chlorinated environments, these steps will help you take control.
Your body wasn’t designed to process this kind of chemical assault on a regular basis, but you’re not helpless. You just need a smarter strategy. Here’s what I recommend to start reversing the damage and limiting future exposure.
Switch to a saltwater pool or skip indoor pools entirely.Chlorine exposure hits hardest when it’s concentrated and trapped, like in a steamy indoor pool. That chlorine smell is actually toxic chloramines building up in the air. Saltwater systems use far less chlorine and don’t produce the same harsh byproducts. If you have the option, outdoor saltwater pools are a much safer choice for your lungs, skin and eyes.
Install a whole-house water filter to eliminate chlorine at home. You’re not just exposed to chlorine in pools; it’s in your shower andtap water too. A high-quality whole-house filtration system removes chlorine before it reaches your skin or lungs. This matters more than you think.
Inhaling chlorine steam during hot showers is one of the fastest ways it enters your bloodstream. You’ll notice less dryness, fewer breathing issues and softer skin within days of switching. It’s important to remove chlorine from your drinking water as well, as disinfection byproducts in tap water are linked to an increased risk of cancer.6
Avoid chemical sunscreens. Chlorine reacts with certain sunscreen ingredients like avobenzone and oxybenzone, creating hormone-disrupting byproducts. Find shade or use clothing to cover your skin when you need to limit sun exposure.
Sources and References
1.Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Toxicological Profile for Chlorine
3, 6Journal of the National Cancer Institute December 2023, Volume 115, Issue 12
Coach Slava Fattakhov, How to Protect Skin from Chlorine?
This article was brought to you by Dr. Mercola, a New York Times bestselling author. For more helpful articles, please visit Mercola.com.
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