"Possible Link Between Baby Swimming And Breathing Problems In Children" http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104197.php [QUOTE]Children with mothers who have allergies or asthma have an increased risk of wheezing in the chest if they take part in baby swimming before 6 months of age. This is shown in a new study using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Study (MoBa) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). [/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Earlier studies indicated that there can be a link between baby swimming and airway infections in children. It has been suggested that indoor environmental factors (airway irritants) such as volatile chlorination products for indoor swimming pools can affect lung epithelium and contribute to the development of respiratory illnesses like asthma among children. "The connection between respiratory problems and baby swimming was suggested by a paediatrician who asked whether children with increased risk of asthma, who took part in baby swimming, had a greater tendency to develop respiratory diseases. Earlier studies indicated a connection but the results were uncertain. Therefore we want to carry out a more thorough study," says Nystad. "If mother and baby are healthy, the study shows that there is no increased risk of otitis media or respiratory problems with baby swimming before six months of age." [/QUOTE] "Infant Swimming Practice, Pulmonary Epithelium Integrity, and the Risk of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases Later in Childhood" Alfred Bernard, PhD, Sylviane Carbonnelle, MD, Xavier Dumont, BSc and Marc Nickmilder, PhD http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/119/6/1095 [QUOTE] RESULTS. There were no significant differences between the infant swimming group and the other children regarding the levels of exhaled nitric oxide and total or aeroallergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E. Children who swam as infants showed, by contrast, a significant decrease of serum Clara cell protein and of the serum Clara cell protein/surfactant-associated protein D ratio integrating Clara cell damage and permeability changes of the lung epithelial barrier. These effects were associated with higher risks of asthma and of recurrent bronchitis. Passive exposure to tobacco alone had no effect on these outcomes but seemed to interact with infant swimming practice to increase the risk of asthma or of recurrent bronchitis. CONCLUSIONS. Our data suggest that infant swimming practice in chlorinated indoor swimming pools is associated with airways changes that, along with other factors, seem to predispose children to the development of asthma and recurrent bronchitis. [/QUOTE]