Purdue University -- WHAT: Pools across the U.S. are set to reopen in the coming weeks. If recommended chlorine levels are maintained as usual,
the pools themselves should pose minimal risk of spreading the coronavirus to swimmers, says a Purdue University engineer who studies pool water decontamination.
For indoor pools, the greater risks to coronavirus spread would include poor air circulation, crowds and contaminated surfaces such as handrails.
EXPERT: Ernest “Chip” Blatchley III, Purdue’s Lee A. Rieth Professor in Environmental Engineering, researches how chlorine in swimming pools reacts with contaminants such as human body fluids, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. He is a professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering.
QUOTE: “There are no data to show how the coronavirus responds to chlorine, but we do know that chlorine effectively inactivates similar viruses.