That's Fit

If you have a child with asthma, you might already know that fitness is especially important -- it can help improve childhood asthma. And with summer approaching, you might be thinking about swimming. It's a great physical activity, and kids love it, so you're set, right?

Not so fast. A recent article by Claire McCarthy, M.D., of Harvard Medical School urges parents to take caution with their asthmatic children when it comes to swimming. While the activity itself helps to strengthen their lungs -- and swimming is one form of fitness that's less likely to cause asthma symptoms -- there is one problem. The chlorine.

The article cites a study done in Belgium, where "children who swam as infants in chlorinated swimming pools were more likely to have asthma later in childhood. It appeared that the chlorine may have damaged the lining of the lungs."
As an asthmatic who was swimming before I could really walk, I'm quite curious about this. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend kids younger than four take swimming lessons because they aren't developmentally ready for formal lessons, but I'm more interested in the respiratory effects. What have your experiences been with children swimming in chlorinated pools?