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Benoît Lévesque,¹ Pierre Ayotte,¹ Alain LeBlanc,² Éric Dewailly,¹ Denis Prud'Homme,³ Robert Lavoie,⁴ Sylvain Allaire,¹ and Patrick Levallois¹

¹Service Santé et Environnement, Centre de Santé Publique de Québec, Ste-Foy, Québec, G1V 2K8 Canada
²Centre de Toxicologie de Québec, Ste-Foy, Québec, G1V 4G2 Canada
³Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, G1K 7P4 Canada
⁴Hôpital Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, G1V 4G5 Canada

Abstract
Chloroform is a known contaminant of chlorinated drinking water and of swimming pool water disinfected with chlorine or one of its derivatives. Few data exist regarding the importance of dermal and inhalation exposure routes to the chloroform body burden resulting from domestic and recreational use of chlorinated water. In our experimental study involving 11 male swimmers, we quantified the body burden resulting from exposure to various concentrations of chloroform in water and air of an indoor swimming pool, during a daily 55-min exercise period. From the first to the sixth exercise period, CHCl₃ mean concentration in water was increased from 159 µg/l to 553 µg/l. Corresponding mean air CHCl₃ level ranged from 597 ppb to 1630 ppb. To dissociate the dermal exposure route from that of inhalation, swimmers used scuba tanks during an additional exercise period. Chloroform concentrations were measured in alveolar air before and after each exercise period, as well as after 35 min of physical activity. Chloroform levels in water and air were measured every 10 min. We examined the relationship between alveolar air concentration (a measure of body burden) at 35 and 55 min and environmental chloroform concentrations by using multiple regression models. The natural logarithm of alveolar air concentration was strongly correlated with aqueous chloroform concentration both at 35 (p <0.001, r² = 0.75) and 55 min (p <0.001, r² = 0.86) . The relationship with air concentrations was also statistically significant (35 min: p <0.001, r² = 0.58, 55 min: p <0.001, r² = 0.63) . Two other variables, intensity of exercise and physiological characteristics of the subject, were also significantly associated with variation of body burden. Approximately 24% of body burden resulted from dermal absorption. Swimming in indoor pools may be an important source of exposure to chloroform. Key words: alveolar air, chloroform exposure, swimming pools, trihalomethanes.Environ Health Perspect 102:1082-1087 (1994)

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1994/102-12/levesque.html

Address correspondence to B. Lévesque, Service Santé et Environment, Centre de Santé Publique de Québec, 2050 Boulevard René-Lévesque O., Ste-Foy, Québec, GIV 2K8 Canada.

This study was conducted on the premises of the Centre de Formation aux Mesures d'Urgence en Mer with the help of a grant from the National Health Research and Development Program. We are indebted to Le Coin du Plongeur for providing the diving equipment. Finally, to Martin Brochu, Jean-Philippe Weber, Suzanne Gingras, Louis Hébert, Jasmin Duranleau, Paul Racicot, Lise Côté, Alexandra Lauzier, Antonyne Bourassa, Denise Fortin and the swimmers who took part in this study, we are sincerely grateful.

Received 10 May 1994 ; accepted 18 August 1994.