Chlorine allergy

Sodium hypochlorite or bleach in common parlance is the most common and toxic element in the human environment. Allergies to bleach are widespread. We encounter chlorine everywhere: we wash ourselves in the shower at home, visit the pool, drink tea from unfiltered water, and move around rooms treated with varying concentrations of the substance. Our body has to absorb, inhale, and digest sodium hypochlorite.

Most people are not very tolerant to chlorine. They have various reactions when interacting with it, which can lead to irreversible changes in the body.

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Symptoms of Chlorine Allergy

The most common symptom of an allergic reaction to chlorine is considered to be eye irritation. It does not matter whether you encountered a liquid substance or a powder, your eyes begin to water or, on the contrary, you feel incredible dryness with itching. An allergy to chlorine manifests itself in reddening of the eyes, sometimes loss of eyelashes.

Allergy to chlorine: symptoms on the skin:

• dryness, feeling of tightness, constant desire to scratch;
• redness, peeling of the skin;
• the occurrence of eczema.

The first areas to react are the groin area and the armpit region.

The most severe form of chlorine allergy is respiratory dysfunction. As soon as you inhale the vapors, air masses containing chlorine, you immediately begin coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, and a feeling of tightness in the chest.

It should be noted that chlorine allergy can be of two types of action - slow and fast. How does chlorine allergy manifest itself? Advanced forms of allergies can develop into serious diseases and cause: Quincke's edema, anaphylaxis, idiosyncrasy, when the reaction to the allergen occurs immediately upon first contact. Frequent exposure of chlorine to the body of people with increased sensitivity to it can cause an unpleasant disease - bronchial asthma. In addition to breathing difficulties, tightness and discomfort in the chest, there are cases of loss of consciousness in people suffering from this disease. After damage to the respiratory system, only the last stage of the development of symptoms of chlorine allergy follows - anaphylactic shock. Therefore, at the first manifestations of allergic reactions, you need to consult a specialist.

Allergy to chlorine in the pool

Each of us wants to be healthy, full of strength and energy. The fashionable trend of modern society is visiting sports centers, swimming pools, saunas, etc. The desire to keep fit is wonderful. Only in public places where disinfectants are most actively used, is it easy to find chlorine.

How does an allergy to chlorine manifest itself in a swimming pool? An allergy to chlorine when visiting a swimming pool can reveal itself right on the spot or after some time. Skin rashes, burning sensations, itching, peeling of the skin are observed. From the respiratory system, a runny nose, sneezing, and asthma attacks appear.

Disinfection of water with chlorine remains, unfortunately, a widespread technology. Chlorine dries out the skin, has a harmful effect on hair, which becomes brittle and loses its shine. It is for this reason that it is advisable to wear a rubber cap when visiting a swimming pool. Eyes suffer greatly from chlorine.

What to do if you have an allergy to chlorine in the pool? You can easily check yourself by swimming in a river or sea. If no symptoms appear, your diagnosis will be confirmed. Can you forget about visiting the pool? Not necessarily. Scientific and technological progress does not stand still and with it ozonation, ultrasonic water purification technology have appeared. Before you start visiting a swimming pool, find out how the water is disinfected.

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Allergy to chlorine in a child

Swimming lessons with infants are a new trend among modern parents. Babies are taken to the pool from the age of three weeks. While doing this healthy activity, do not forget that children are the most sensitive group to allergens. Chlorine allergy can cause a lot of trouble for children and their parents. If you are determined to go swimming from birth, you should give preference to establishments specially designed for this purpose. Water for babies is not chlorinated.

An allergy to chlorine in an older child can be sudden and quite dangerous. There have been cases when a child in a pool began to choke or fell with convulsions. In such severe situations, an injection of a desensitizing drug and an immediate call to an ambulance help.

A vague form of allergy in children develops over a long period until atopic dermatitis becomes noticeable. In chronic allergies, it is important not only to exclude the presence of an allergen, but also to apply complex treatment based on the effects of antiseptics and antihistamines.

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Treatment of chlorine allergy

How to treat chlorine allergy? If the allergy occurs to household chemicals containing chlorine, you should give them up. Modern home care products are represented by a wide range of environmentally friendly, organic substances without fragrances, chlorine, softeners, surfactants. Many of them are odorless and suitable for allergy sufferers. An excellent alternative to chlorine bleaches are detergents based on soap nuts, animal bile, which are not only harmless, but also cope well with the most persistent stains.

First aid for allergies to household products containing chlorine:

• rinse the substance off the skin under running water;
• dry, apply moisturizer to the skin area;
• Ventilate the room well to remove chlorine fumes.

Treatment with medications is determined by an allergist based on a blood test and determination of the type of allergen. Such testing has almost no contraindications, reveals the level of the immunoglobulin class E protein (IgE), which is produced in response to allergens.

Traditional medicine provides an answer to the question: how to treat chlorine allergy? Baths and compresses from succession help to alleviate skin conditions in children. Allergic dermatitis can be treated with an ointment made by sequentially melting a part of each of the components:

• beeswax;
• fats (lamb, pork, goose, chicken, duck);
• oils (butter, vaseline, sunflower).

Mix ½ of the ready, warm mixture with a part of tar, a part of crushed laundry soap and colloidal sulfur. Store the well-mixed ointment in a glass container in the refrigerator. Apply for skin rashes in a course of up to two weeks, excluding the period of exacerbation.

Allergic reactions to the eyes are treated with the juice from the inflorescences of red clover. Salvation from itching can be found in an infusion of pansies (tricolor violet). A liter of such an infusion is used for a bath. A similar effect is observed when using an infusion of marsh wild rosemary.

For internal use, here is a recipe: 250-300 grams of garlic turn into a gruel using all available methods (garlic press, chopper, etc.), pour in half a liter of vodka, leave for about 4 weeks in a warm place, without access to light. Dilute a teaspoon of tincture in half a glass of water and consume with food 2-3 times a day for up to 20 days.

Chlorine allergy goes away when contact with the allergen is eliminated. Therefore, following safety rules will help avoid unpleasant consequences:

• use only organic, chlorine-free detergents and cleaning products;
• do not use chlorine when cleaning your apartment;
• Before visiting the pool, find out what is used to treat the water in it;
• If your tap water is rich in chlorine, use special filters;
• Do not drink tap water.