bromine

Submitted by Christine on August 29, 2011 - 10:42am
Body: 

Hi,

A new spa opened right in my neighborhood, which I have been enjoying so much. I go mainly for the Finnish sauna, but they have a children's day when kids can go in the hot tub, cold tub or sauna. The first time I went I asked what they put in the water and was told it was bromine instead of chlorine, because it was so much milder.

I took my little granddaughter there yesterday and spent alot of time playing in the pools - opening our eyes and having tea parties under water, etc.

Last night my delicate vulva was on fire and I felt vaguely like I had experienced a chemical exposure. I looked up bromine on the web and was horrified to learn what a toxic chemical it is!

I saw something about ozone treatment for pools. Is this a possibility? I really can't return either of us to the bromine and would like to suggest to these lovely young owners (who sank a ton of money into creating a beautiful business) that there is a better solution.

Thanks!

Me :)

bad_mirror

August 29, 2011 - 2:04pm

The enormous hot springs pool in my neck of the woods uses a "multi-million dollar" ozone purification system, but must also add "small" amounts of chlorine to comply with CO state board of health rules. So I gather that ozone is both pricey and may not entirely eliminate use of chemicals. Ten Thousand Waves in Santa Fe uses ultraviolet light, copper and silver ions, and ozone to produce water for their spa that is "drinking water quality". Maybe they would be a good source of information for you and your spa owners? (all of a sudden, I want to go to Ten Thousand Waves again!!)

alemama

August 29, 2011 - 5:57pm

We have a wonderful hot tub in our garage- it works. But I refuse to put the Bromine in it- so we fill it and play for a while and then we empty it. It seems so wasteful (for the water) so we only do it a few times a year.
I attended a lecture on waterbirth by Barbara Harper and she talked a little about cutting edge research on enzymes in pools as a chemical alternative.
So sorry you are dealing with a chemical burn. Squirt some breastmilk in those eyes! Works everytime.

granolamom

August 29, 2011 - 7:34pm

as I'm reading your post I keep thinking 'bromine...bromine...why does that sound so familiar?'
oh.....I always buy four that says 'unbromated'. is that the same bromine they use to bleach flour? I read up on that a while back, nasty stuff.
sorry about your burn! (how are dgd's eyes?)

Christine

August 29, 2011 - 8:36pm

Yeah, I think I had a bit of cognitive dissonance going on about the bromine. You are right, Gmom, bromine is a bleaching agent used in white flour production and probably a major reason for the current rates of intolerance to one of our oldest and most sacred foods - wheat! We have talked about that here at some point, but I guess I thought (or didn't think) a little in the water would be more benign. Nori hasn’t complained about her eyes, but mine are still slightly irritated.

@ Alemama...short on breastmilk these days! :)

@ BadMirror...thanks for the info! This is just a little, sweet spa...cheap and clean, but not upscale. I imagine these folks have done their research and of course *everyone* here knows and loves Ten Thousand Waves. I will see what I can find out about whether they have exhausted all alternatives.

Thanks!!!

Mishek

August 29, 2011 - 8:50pm

Dorothy hall talks about bromine in her book (The natural health book)She states bromine is a mineral that has been found to be present constantly in our blood stream. Bromine rich foods are many with watermelon at the top of the list. Bromine rich foods are needed for a good emotional balance. If i'm feeling a little depressed i reach for the watermelon and notice a difference in the way that i feel. She also states that the bromine content of body tissues starts to decrease in middle age and say by about age 75 onwards hardly any bromine can be detected at all. So eating melons can lift our moods... beats anti depressants. I don't know if this is the same bromine that they put in the spa.

louiseds

August 30, 2011 - 12:34am

Hi Christine

There are three measurements that need balancing in a pool or spa. Total alkalinity, pH and acid demand. If these are balanced correctly the water will be pleasant to feel, crystal clear, non-stinging to the eyes and soft. You get the measurements correct by adding different chemicals according to the results of water tests. We have a little kit and do our own.

In addition to this you have to kill germs in the water and filter out the big bits.

Our outdoor spa has ozone sanitization. We occasionally have to superchlorinate it if there have been a lot of people using it over a short period of time. Think parties. Other than that we test it weekly and adjust it by adding small amounts of whatever chemical is required. When it becomes difficult to balance these three measurements it is time to empty it and start again with clean water, maybe twice a year when it is being used all year round.

The main difference between bromine and chlorine, the two main sanitisation agents, is that bromine is more stable at higher temperatures. It is also more expensive, I think. Chlorine works fine for us, and we don't use it very often.

If your eyes and vulva are suffering it is likely that the water has too low a pH level, ie it is too acid. I think these people need to learn a bit more about water chemistry. There are also rules about how long you have to leave the water to adjust before using the spa again. These people may not know exactly what they are doing. The average pool shop in Australia will try and sell you as much chemical as they can, but don't necessarily know much about chemistry. DH is pretty competent with chemistry, so we soon downloaded some info from the Net and figured out for ourselves what we had to do, which is very little.
It is easy to keep your eyes closed if you go under, but it is a bit tricky to keep your vulva out of the water. I would definitely tell them about your stingy 'eyes'. They may not know they have a problem. If they don't know, they cannot fix it.

Cheers

Louise

Christine

August 30, 2011 - 10:07pm

Thanks so much for all the good info! This isn't very high on my priority list, as I have a jillion other things to do, but I will talk with them at some point and tell you how it all turns out. I feel much better today.

louiseds

August 30, 2011 - 10:55pm

Great to hear that you are feeling more comfortable Christine. It is always a worry when there is a flareup or setback. We tend to think we will be stuck in that bad space for ever. Thankfully not the case for you, as it is not the case for temporary POP setbacks.

Louise