[BoboStin]

Does this satisfy your curiosity?



ACK!

[Nashhlkq]

Oh, apparently, a Speedo is required in public pools, but not the beach.

ACK!

[dicemets]

Originally posted by Tuberski
Does this satisfy your curiosity?



ACK! That guy looks like a Russian criminal.
Actually, speedos are the most popular swimsuits among men in Russia. I prefer boxers, though.
Bermudas are stupid, when you undress to your underpants, your glowing white thighs look ridiculous? What's the point of going to the beach if you're going to get only a partial suntan?

[vintsqyuid]

Are you offering?

[Freedjome]

Originally posted by Asher
Speaking of swimming and speedos: Out here in Toronto everyone wears two speedos at the same time. Why the hell is this? Specifically it's the UofT swimteam, which occasionally is at the pool I swim at.

Are people worried speedos show too much, so they just double up rather than just wearing something else? They are protecting their backdoor when they're sharing the pool with you.

[strmini]

Not to mention the water actually dries you out. (Counter-intuitive, I know, but painfully true.)

[n2Oddw8P]

Yeah, swimming halls in here forbid shorts and other lose kidn fo swim wear as well. BUt it's for pools only. There's also the fact that a lot of people will come in with their shorts, swim in them and continue business as usual, aka bringing crap into the pool with their shorts. And lose clothing is not adviced either so... I'm all for nudity though.

[Zysyewgg]

Whoops, yes, an exception exists. And totally overrides the whole idea including hygiene

[Glipseagrilia]

Originally posted by Winston
I thought being dried out is what it's all about. How much teeth do you want? Maybe a few long, slow chomps?

Or maybe I can do this thing that I like to do.

*slaps hands together very hard*

Flattening it out for you.

[ecosportpol_ru]

Originally posted by Supr49er


Well, when I was a kid, all the guys at the indoor pool at the YMCA swan nude. There's a couple asian guys at the pool I swim at that wear baggy thin white swimsuits. I'm surprised they're allowed to...

[Dr. Shon Thomson]

Originally posted by Asher
Speaking of swimming and speedos: Out here in Toronto everyone wears two speedos at the same time. Why the hell is this? Specifically it's the UofT swimteam, which occasionally is at the pool I swim at.

Are people worried speedos show too much, so they just double up rather than just wearing something else? Speedos pretty much fall apart under heavy wear. In particular, they get large transparent patches.

[Unonounaple]

... wouldn't keeping the ozone dissolved in the water be really hard? And wouldn't the ozone have a tendency to react with the H+'s and turn into O2 + OH-, just making the water really basic? That doesn't sound like a very effective way of keeping the pool clean...

[qwerty1]

Nah using ozone is abit safer then chlorine in the pool, it's just down to cost effectiveness. I'm sure a fair amount of european pools use ozone or atleast mix the two, it's the americans who are more reliant on chlorine alone.

[konanoileaski]

Originally posted by Krill
More importantly I think the concentrations of ozone you'd need would be pretty dangerous to humans never mind bacteria... http://swimming.about.com/od/allergy..._problem_3.htm
Chlorine byproducts found in swimming pools are linked to higher incidences of asthma, lung damage, stillbirths, miscarriages and bladder cancer, according to credible research conducted in the U.S., Canada, Norway, Australia and Belgium.

One researcher noted that 10-year-old children spending an average of 1.8 hours per week in an indoor swimming pool environment suffered lung damage she would expect to see in an adult smoker. For concientous swimming pools managers, the question this raises is are there viable alternatives to chlorine? Ozone and ultraviolet are the two most commonly cited technologies.

One of the main problems with adopting Ozone is that there is a higher initial capital cost to the swimming pool compared to chlorine. However, over the life of the pool Ozone and ultraviolet technologies reduce the on-going operating and maintenance costs. These costs can be significant. Chlorine is famous for destroying pool infrastructures, rusting out ventilation systems and destroying pool liners etc. Ozone poses no such problems.

The Ozone pool will be much cleaner, which means dirt, grease, oils, organics and other materials will wind up in the filter system much faster than with chlorinated systems. If the filter and strainer maintenance is not stepped up accordingly, the pool recirculating system will slow down and the pool will actually look dirtier than with Chlorine. However, proper maintenance of the filter system will solve this problem.

What is the difference in technologies? Chlorine is a complex man-made chemical that found original use in the infamous "mustard gas" of the First World War. Ozone has been in use for over 100 years, primarily in Europe and was first put to use for water purification, odor control and in medical hospitals (it is still being used medically today, though not commonly in North America).

Ozone is made from Oxygen or O2, which is converted through electricity to Ozone or O3. Ozone is a much more powerful oxidant than chlorine. However, the "shelf life" of Ozone is limited. It must be manufactured and used on-site. This is done through Ozone Generators which convert Oxygen in the air into Ozone.

However, in North America we are now stuck with swimming pools that in Europe would be considered "surge tanks". The problem is to evolve an Ozone or other technology that can retrofit a large installed base of swimming pools in an economical manner. These systems are now starting to appear in the marketplace in increasing numbers.

If you consider that there have been several generations of engineers who have been taught chemical processes as a matter of course, it is not easy to persuade them that switching to this "new" (to North America) technology is the way to go. As well, some of the earlier North American produced Ozone systems were problematic and many engineers do not want to risk specifying equipment if they are not comfortable with the process.

[CreativeSuiteDown]

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemi...ealth_ozo.html

What are the main health hazards associated with breathing in ozone?

Even very low concentrations of ozone can be harmful to the upper respiratory tract and the lungs. The severity of injury depends on both by the concentration of ozone and the duration of exposure. Severe and permanent lung injury or death could result from even a very short-term exposure to relatively low concentrations.

Exposure to extremely low concentrations of ozone initially increases the reactivity of the airways to other inhaled substances (bronchial hyperresponsiveness) and causes an inflammatory response in the respiratory tissue. Exposure to ozone during exercise or work increases susceptibility to this effect. Increased bronchial responsiveness has been observed following 7-hour exposures to 0.08, 0.1 or 0.12 ppm (with moderate exercise), or a 1-hour exposure to 0.35 ppm. This response occurs almost immediately following exposure to ozone and persists for at least 18 hours.

Other symptoms observed following acute exposures to 0.25-0.75 ppm include cough, shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, a feeling of an inability to breathe (dyspnea), dry throat, wheezing, headache and nausea.

More severe symptoms have been seen following exposure to higher concentrations (greater than 1 ppm) and have included reduced lung function, extreme fatigue, dizziness, inability to sleep and to concentrate and a bluish discolouration of the skin (cyanosis). Intermittent exposure to 9 ppm for 3-14 days has produced inflammation of the bronchi and lungs.

[/b]An acute occupational exposure to approximately 11 ppm for 15 minutes caused severe respiratory irritation and almost caused unconsciousness. A 30-minute exposure to 50 ppm is considered potentially lethal.[/b]

Animal studies indicate that ozone can also cause a potentially fatal accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). Symptoms of pulmonary edema, such as shortness of breath, may not appear for 24 hours after exposure and are aggravated by physical exertion.

The severity respiratory responses to ozone becomes reduced following repeated daily exposures. This "functional adaptation" to the effects of ozone may persist for several days after exposure stops. Decreases in respiratory function do not appear to be more pronounced in cigarette smokers or people with pre-existing lung disorders.
What happens when ozone comes into contact with my skin?

There is no information available. Ozone gas can probably cause skin irritation due to its oxidizing ability, but only at concentrations capable of causing severe respiratory injury.
Can ozone hurt my eyes?

Ozone concentrations greater than 2 ppm can be irritating to the eyes within minutes. No definite effects on vision were noted in volunteers exposed for 3 or 6 hours to 0.2-0.5 ppm, although some increase in side vision (peripheral) and a slight reduction in visual sharpness (acuity) was noted during dark adaptation tests.
What happens if ozone is accidentally swallowed (enters the digestive system)?

Ingestion is not an applicable route of exposure for gases.
What are the long term health effects of exposure to ozone?

A small number of studies examining the potential effects of long-term occupational exposures to ozone have reported headache, irritation of the nose and throat, chest constriction and lung congestion in exposed workers. Human population studies indicate that people living in communities with high background ozone levels have experienced a greater decrease in lung function over 5 years than people living in communities with lower background levels.

These studies suggest that long-term exposures to ozone may result in impaired lung function. These reports are consistent with animal studies which also indicate that long-term exposure to ozone can impair lung function and cause structural changes to the lungs.

Based on animal evidence, exposure to ozone may increase susceptibility to bacterial infections of the respiratory system.
Will ozone cause cancer?

There is no human information available. Animal studies are inconclusive.
Will ozone cause any problems with my reproductive system?

There is no human information available. No effects were observed in one animal study.
Will ozone cause effects on the fetus/unborn baby?

There is no human information available. No conclusions can be drawn from the available animal studies because effects were either seen in the presence of maternal toxicity or maternal toxicity was not evaluated.

Will ozone act in a synergistic manner with other materials (will its effects be more than the sum of the effects from the exposure to each chemical alone)?

Ozone exposures may influence clearance of other hazardous substances from the lung. Individuals with asthma were reported to be sensitized to the effects of other irritants when pre-exposed to 0.12 ppm ozone for 1 hour. Animal studies have shown that rats exposed to ozone prior to an exposure to asbestos had significantly more asbestos in their lungs one month later than animals not exposed to ozone. No synergism has been observed between ozone and either nitrogen dioxide or sulphuric acid in terms of impaired respiratory function.
Is there potential for ozone to build-up or accumulate in my body?

Ozone is absorbed in both the upper and lower respiratory tract. It is a potent oxidant that reacts with protein and lipids, particularly within biological membranes. A small amount of inhaled ozone is absorbed into the blood. The extreme reactivity of ozone limits its ability to accumulate.

[55TRATTERENRY]

Chlorine byproducts found in swimming pools are linked to higher incidences of asthma, lung damage, stillbirths, miscarriages and bladder cancer, according to credible research conducted in the U.S., Canada, Norway, Australia and Belgium.

One researcher noted that 10-year-old children spending an average of 1.8 hours per week in an indoor swimming pool environment suffered lung damage she would expect to see in an adult smoker.

...

I've spent far more than 2 hours a week in chlorinated pools since I was six. I'm pretty sure my lungs are all right...

[SarkisPioute]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Chlorine byproducts found in swimming pools are linked to higher incidences of asthma, lung damage, stillbirths, miscarriages and bladder cancer, according to credible research conducted in the U.S., Canada, Norway, Australia and Belgium.

One researcher noted that 10-year-old children spending an average of 1.8 hours per week in an indoor swimming pool environment suffered lung damage she would expect to see in an adult smoker.

...

I've spent far more than 2 hours a week in chlorinated pools since I was six. I'm pretty sure my lungs are all right... It's from Canada, what sort of research do you expect to see from them?

[bestworkothlo]

Ok, I googled a bit and it seems the ozone is only used in the filtering/purifying circuit only. The ozone in the water is removed before it goes back in the pool.
'ozone in the water should not be measurable (less than 0.1 mg/l)'. That is the UV part of the process: to remove excessive ozone before it flows back in the pool.

[MarythePuppy6]

I still don't see why the ozone will dissolve in the water rather that just immediately disassociating into O2 and OH-.

[slimfifa]

That's why I'm asking a chemist.