Can swimming pool attendance increase the risk of allergic rhinitis in children?

You are asking whether taking your child to swimming pools could raise their risk of allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Allergic rhinitis causes sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, and itchy eyes. The short answer is that current research does not find a clear link between pool attendance and a higher risk of allergic rhinitis in children. In fact, some studies suggest that early exposure to swimming pools might actually lower the risk.

What the research says

A large 2025 meta-analysis pooled data from 23 studies involving over 54,000 participants and found no significant link between swimming pool attendance and allergic rhinitis overall ²⁹. Interestingly, when researchers looked specifically at children who started swimming early in life, they found a lower risk of allergic rhinitis (odds ratio 0.78, meaning about 22% lower risk) ²⁹. This protective effect was also seen in an earlier 2009 study of Spanish children, where starting pool attendance before age 2 was linked to fewer allergic rhinitis symptoms ¹⁰.

However, the picture is not entirely simple. A 2015 study of adolescents found that swimming in chlorinated pools was linked to changes in airway lining proteins, and among boys, these changes were associated with a higher risk of allergic rhinitis if they were already sensitized to house dust mites ¹¹. This suggests that chlorine byproducts might affect the airway barrier, potentially increasing risk in some children who are already prone to allergies.

Other environmental factors also matter. For example, mercury exposure has been linked to higher rates of allergic rhinitis in children ⁸, and air pollution can alter the nasal microbiome, which may play a role in allergic disease ³. But these are separate from pool attendance.

Overall, the strongest evidence from large meta-analyses does not support a general increased risk of allergic rhinitis from swimming pools. The possible protective effect seen in some studies needs more research to confirm.

What to ask your doctor

• Given my child's age and allergy history, is there any reason to limit swimming pool exposure?
• Could early swimming lessons help reduce my child's risk of developing allergic rhinitis?
• If my child already has allergic rhinitis, are there precautions to take before swimming (like using a nasal spray)?
• Should I be concerned about chlorine or other pool chemicals affecting my child's allergies?
• Are there any signs I should watch for after swimming that might indicate an allergic reaction?