chlorine as a "trigger" mechanism

If anyone else reads this and suspects chlorine as a "trigger" mechanism that has anything to do with their ITP please respond and explain why you came to that conclusion. I work with chlorine everyday and I have reoccurring episodes of chronic low platelets with all of the usual symptoms for 10 years now.
Also if you have not considered chlorine as a culprit in your experiences with ITP please do so now and reply with any facts or even guesses that come to mind.

Over the years, chlorine has been mentioned as a trigger for platelet drops for a handful of people. The thing is, that is not true for everyone.

Any toxin can potentially trigger an autoimmune disorder and I would think that constant exposure to chlorine would qualify. Exposure to toxins has been mentioned in many articles as a trigger. The problem is that once the damage is done, there is no known way to reverse it.

Are you speaking of chlorine as a raw chemical in undiluted form or say in a pool environment. I have read some of the literature on ITP and Chlorine. I was very curious for myself. I swim quite a bit. Normally about 3 to 5 miles per week in a Natatorium. I have noticed no difference in my platelet counts. I am interested in any information that you would care to share.

Thanks!

Jeffrey

I work as a drinking water treatment operator. We use CL2 gas as a disinfectant. I am consistently breathing diluted residuals from 2.2 ppm to 0.8 ppm for 12 hrs per day. But sometimes we will disinfect treatment tanks at 100 ppm and very strong residuals will remain in the buildings during that process. I began to believe that some of my episodes of petechial and bruising coincided with some of the disinfecting projects. Coincidentally I read in a post somewhere on this site where an ITP affected person called high cl2 levels in swimming pools and saunas a "definite no no" for him and a trigger to his ITP symptom outbreaks. Really got to get going got a midnight shift at the water plant...good ole chlorine...hope that is not a culprit in this ongoing ITP thing, man that's where I make my living.
I'll let you know if I figure anything out but I would not worry about the chlorine if your not having any problems. If you do you may want to keep your eyes and ears open.
I sent the guy...John an email asking him how he came to that conclusion if he answers me I will post it here.
Thanks for the interest.
J

J,

I do believe that as Sandi, and others have well stated, that "triggers" for ITP vary with all of us but several things seem to have prominence. Please keep me posted. I am very interested in my next CBC in September. I seem to be lower in the late summer and fall after a season of training and being outside. I have nothing to hang my thoughts on but it is kind of starting to be a pattern. It could be anything from chlorine to excessive exercise, or just a coincidence.

Take care and please keep me posted!

Jeffrey

I am in a moderately chlorinated pool (and a more heavily chlorinated hot tub) five days a week, and I don't believe it has had any effect on my platelets.