Health & Safety for the Public and our Environment

Swimming is one the best possible excises you can undertake, as long as the water quality and atmospheric conditions in the pool are safe.  If you can enter a swimming pool and you can still smell the chlorine after 2 minutes, then do not enter.  If you go swimming and your eyes sting, then we recommend that you leave the pool.  The characteristic swimming pool smell and sore eyes is not caused by chlorine but by a chlorine reaction product called trichloramine.

AFM ( Activated Filter Media) is a key product to Dryden Aqua.  In the European swimming pool industry, the design of the systems are such that high levels of trichloramines and THM`s can be produced and discharged into the atmosphere. Reports published by the European Respiratory Society claim that children that go swimming experience the same lung damage as an adult smoker as measured by biochemical indicators. We also know that trichloramines strips off the mucous lining from your lungs and predispose children (and adults) to infection. Trichloramines can also initiated a sensitised reaction to dust, pollen or virtually any chemical which can develop into to asthma or respiratory problems latter in life.

In addition to trichloramines, UVc disinfection and ozone are being promoted to the swimming pool industry,  however both processes increase the chlorine demand by up to 500% and increase not only the trichloramine level in the atmosphere but a second chemical called THM`s (trihalomethane) which are highly carcinogenic.  The use of UVc and ozone should not be permitted in chlorinated systems.

The problems in swimming pools are caused by the use of sand in the sand filters, UVc and Ozone, there are other factors such as water flow rates and operational procedures.  However at Dryden Aqua we were the first company to determine the mechanism for he production of trichloramines. Once you understand how something works, it then gives you the tools to solve the problem.  At Dryden Aqua we have almost eliminated the production of trichloramines and reduced THM`s by 80% and this is achieved simply by replacing the sand in the sand filters with AFM.   We have advised the authorities around Europe of our findings and a copy of the report is available (click here) In Scotland, Germany, Switzerland and Spain AFM is being implemented rapidly, however the authorities and industry in the England are still actively promoting the use chemicals, ozone and UVc systems. click here for swimming pool section of web site.

By using AFM and adopting Dryden Aqua procedures for running swimming pool water treatment systems, there will be on average an 80% reduction in chemical consumption, and production of chlorine reaction products. We do not know the long term health implications or chlorine reaction products but it can only be good for the public as well as the environment if we can reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals.