Pool's+Closed

Pool's closed

Swimming pools have almost become a necessary commodity in recent years, it seems. Back in 1970, there were only 713,000 private swimming pools in America. Today, there is ten times that number. Swimming pools consume massive amounts of water and electricity to maintain.

Energy conservation is important because:  - Electricity comes from burning coal and from nuclear power  - Coal burning results in air pollution, which contributes to diseases such as asthma and emphysema, which kill 55,000 Americans per year  -  Coal and uranium, which provides nuclear energy, are non-renewable resources

Water conservation is important because:  - Many ecosystems (wetlands, lakes, springs) depend on water  - Plants and animals need water for nourishment  -  Sinkholes can develop from extracting groundwater

Ways to save water and electricity:  - Get a pool cover, which reduces evaporation, heat loss, and chemical loss  - Reduce frequency of pool heating, assuming you heat the pool at all  - Clean cleaning and heating tools frequently  -  Use a pool filter designed to save water

The most responsible kind of pool to have in terms of sustainability is one that is relatively inexpensive, has little negative impact on the environment, lasts a long time, and is safe.

Another big problem with swimming pools is the chlorine levels. This is especially problematic in public swimming pools, where chlorine levels are kept unusually high in order to keep the water “clean” despite the hundreds of thousands of people swimming in that water every day. This is necessary to keep bacteria levels low enough to meet health code standards. However, this does not kill all of the bacteria, and it can still infect people swimming in the pool. This, of course, is ignoring the fact that exposure to the chlorine itself is a huge health risk.

Health issues related to chlorine exposure:  - Atherosclerosis  - Asthma attacks  - Skin irritation  - ** Cancer **  - Eczema  - Psoriasis <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> -  Infertility

When pool water evaporates, chlorine gas gets into the air. Combined with other common pool chemicals, this gas contributes to ozone layer depletion, global warming, and acid rain. Chlorine from pool water has been shown to contain dioxin, which is a large contributor to cancer. Chlorine is also poisonous to humans, and stores itself in our layers of excess body fat when we are exposed to it.

There are many things that we as normal, everyday people can do to combat this spreading plague on the environment. Possibilities include but are not limited to: <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> - Petitioning the government to ban the use of chlorine in pool water <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> - Installing natural pools in our yards, which don’t use chlorine or other chemicals <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; msoasciifontfamily: Calibri; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msohansifontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> -  Saving yourselves and never going to public pools or water parks

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