Chemical Burns from Public Pool?

If your child is the only one that was affected then this is NOT a chemical burn from that place. A chemical burn will happen EVERY place that the chemical touched, so it would NOT be just where the trunks were but wide spread across the body or whatever part touched the water (unless washed off and treated). I use to work at a public pool and there are VERY strict rules to follow in the amount of chemicals to go into the water (and THEY HAVE TO USE them to have a public pool). At the place I worked we tested the water before we opened, we tested/checked the water around lunch time, and then again at closing time.

You can call up the facility and ask if there has been reports of chemical burns. BUT morethenlikely it is because your son did not wash off after being in the pool... which should ALWAYS be done because the chlorine or other chemicals can irritate the skin if clothes are not washed off or changed after swimming (I have seen this happen hundreds of times, all a facility can do is say/post signs wash off after leaving the pool but in the end the parents/care taker is responsible for that). You can complain to the facility BUT if they are following guidelines they are in the right and the complaint they will check to make sure and maybe the note will be written down but then dismissed.

One last thing, a TRUE chemical burn will NOT stop burning unless rinsed and treated... this is a serious injury and should see a doctor/ER immediately! I have had one (not from working at the public pool but in a theatre setting) and had to go the ER to get the burning to stop because simple washing with water did not stop it just helped ease the pain.

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. So perhaps I need clarification. His skin covered by his suit appeared irritated? and no place else?

If this were the case, his entire body would have reacted - not just the skin covered by his suit. From your description, it appears to be chafing, and considering how rough some of those water activities are, it doesn't surprise me.

What did your child's doctor say? I'm assuming you took him to have him evaluated if you thought it was a chemical burn. My kids have spent time in water parks and it seems like they come home with a rash from wearing a wet suit too much. It's always where their suit touched, like in your case. I've never thought it was a chemical burn -- just chafing and irritation from a wet suit. Wouldn't a chemical burn be over his entire body?

Did a doctor diagnose these as chemical burns? How do you know it wasn't an allergic reaction or some kind of heat rash or irritant from a raft, etc...

I'm not lawyer, but I think you would have to have a professional back you up that it is what you think it is to truly get results. However, it could not hurt to call the manager and tell him/her of your concerns. It may cause them to be more careful and rotect someone else in the future.

If he blistered, it sounds like a reaction to something other than chlorine. I have very fair skin that is very sensitive, and spent my childhood on swim team. From time to time, I swam in pools with so much chlorine that my eyes would burn (even though I was wearing goggles!) - but I never had any blistering!

To me, it sounds like athlete's foot/jock itch. This is a fungus, so it can certainly be caught in any type of locker room, wet concrete, wet benches - the environment you find at water parks. No matter how clean you keep a public pool, it's still easy to find athlete's foot on a wet pool deck, and if he had his wet shorts on for a while, it would be easy for it to spread. Just a thought.

Unless you have proof that it was a chemical burn (from having visited the doctor), I'd not jump to that conclusion. It very possibly could have been an allergic reaction as well as only the area where his trunks touched his skin were affected. Had it been from the chlorine, chances are, it would have affected the more sensitive membranes such as in his nose and eyes much more rapidly.

If you can get proof that it was caused by the chlorine, you probably need to contact the park (they have to have a public relations department) and the state Department of Health.

Again, I hope it was not a water park that caused this and has another medical explanation. If so, be cautious in making a report as it will have critical implications down the road.

Good luck.

This is a tough one.

On the one hand, I would say call them and let them know what effect their chemicals had on your son. Ask them if they can be more careful of balancing the chemical properly in the future so no other children have to go through this.

On the other hand, pool chemicals can be a tough thing to get right, especially if there are a million people in and out, including kids (who usually pee in the pool) with all of the detergents from their swimsuits and oils and dirt from their skin etc.... I used to maintain my parents' pool for them and it was sometimes tough to keep even a backyard inground pool balanced during the swim season. So maybe the management feels like they have to make a decision between bacterially unsound water (which could cause mass illness and lawsuits galore) or keeping the chemicals at a level where those that are sensitive might be uncomfortable but the general populace would be fine.....

It's a tough call. If you even admit that your child is sensitive to chemicals, then I truly don't think you have any grounds to complain. Yes it sucks for your son and for you and I do feel for you, but the rest of the world can't change or take extra risks just to accomodate you. I don't mean that in any kind of negative way toward you. It's just the facts of the situation and it's unfortunate, but there it is.

HI T.,

If you want any reparations you will need proof such as a doctor's statement. If you are simply trying to make the place safe for the next guy, you've got plenty of ammo. Yes, the health department oversees them and if their chemicals are out of line, then they are negligent. Even if there are other chemicals from other's detergents, etc, the health department should be measuring that as well. When I was little, the head of our neighborhood pool put too much allum in the pool and every little girl had to have a butch haricut because of the gum. The police actually came out and reviewed the situation after a parent complained.

We don't use chemicals in our house either. Your son is not overly sensitive, his immune system should be stronger to fight this stuff off. If your son had a reaction, there were probably other parents that noticed the same thing. I hate to say it but the days of waterparks are over for me. There are simply too many communicable diseases and too many synthetic chemicals to make it fun. I spent the week at a friend's house where they have a saline pool and jacuzzi. It was glorious!

God bless and good luck!~

M.

My son last year got a Chemical burn from the Hotel pool. We contacted the Company. We also called the board of Health for that town. We had paramedics to the Hotel because so many kids were effected. My son had the burn all over his body. I am wondering why yours only had it on his bathing suit area. He also blistered. You need to call the establishment to inform them, also inform them the the health department will be contacted. They will go and test the water to make sure its correct. We had proof from the Doctor also. Good Luck!

he's a boy - jock itch.
you have to tell them to rinse off shower and put on dry drawers when they get out a pool. One of the antifungal powders is good to have on hand when you have boys. If it was a chemical burn it would have been rashy all over.
Wet and moist = jock itch.

My son had the exact same thing on his legs only where his swim trunks touched his legs-middle inner thigh area. However, we were in the atlantic ocean at the time. Now my son does have sensitive skin and has had bouts of eczema as a child since he was an infant and it seemed to have subsided - so I started using fabric softener again and attributed that rash to the fabric softener combined with the salt water.

He has been fine since in our chlorinated pool at home and haven't been to a public pool yet this year.

Did you recently change your fabric softener? Has your son had reactions in the past?

Good luck - not sure if it helped any

If I thought my child had some medical issue, I would be sitting in a Dr. office, not asking about it here.

That said, it sounds like chafing or irritation from wearing a wet suit all day. Why would a "chemical burn" only get on areas where he was clothed.

Most water parks are regulated with testing, etc.

Are you looking to sue the place or something?

Get him checked by the Dr. and get the facts.

Have you taken him to the doctor to verify this? Before you call and make this case you need to have it verified.. Also may want to ask the doctor if these should be photographed... this way you will have documentation. I keep thinking if it was chemical burns, it would be every where..

It sounds more like chafing from spending so much time in wet trunks.. This happens to so many people at water parks, you see them leaving these parks walking funny. When you look at the red areas are they in the rubbed "rubbed areas"..

I would call them for sure and talk to a manage and tell them all that happened etc. I f you took pictures save them and send it to them. I also would callthe health department and tell them . good luck I hope your son is doing better.

You owe it to the pool to tell them. Similar happened to my husband. It was an indoor pool and his sinus and lungs were so burned he had to go to the Dr. He called the facility and with further investigation, the pool was closed for a couple of days because it had been treated twice by two different people, not communicating with each other. They wouldn't pay our Dr bill, but they gave our club member ship 3 months of credit and gave us a sincere apology.

This doesn't sound like a chemical burn at all. Are you sure that your son isn't allergic to chlorene? I am allegeric to chlorene that why I am suggesting it. Good luck.

I think a chemical burn would be all over his body. My son gets a rash everytime he swims for any long period of time (whether it is at the Lake or at a pool) only where his swim trunks are. Dr told me it is irratation from his wet swimsuit from being wet for a long period of time. Dr has me put Vanicream on that area prior to swimming (works great - when I remember to do it) . It works as a protective layer. I then have him shower immediately after getting out for the day and reapply Vanicream.

Sure this has happened to us. We have always attributed it to irritation from the wet suit and/or a little infection from being damp all day in a public place...germy! Clears up though.

I am sure they have to follow some safety guidelines. However letting them know and them doing anything is another issue. I don't know what further advise to give, but I also want to add another warning. At a pool we went to some years back had a giant fat hairy rope around a play area. My son used it and later came up with 52 slivers which had to be removed surgically at the hospital. I told the pool about that and they didn't care. So if you find out they don't care and you want to change things keep going. I know I ended up giving up my fight, but if you believe it was the pool chemicals, let the world know. Find out how many others in your area have it and make a petition. Good luck.

I have had this issue myself. Do call the facility to inform them about your sons reaction. they deserve to know. they may be able to explain if the chems were 'off' during that time and describe what/which could be the issue. I have allergies to many different and odd items. Ya just never know what it will be! Don't panic.