An ultraviolet water cleansing system like the one installed at the North Allegheny High School pool in August may provide the solution to breathing problems that swimmers in Mt. Lebanon have been experiencing.

In January, some parents of Mt. Lebanon swimmers complained that their children were suffering asthma attacks -- one so severe that an ambulance had to be called-- because of poor ventilation at the 52-year-old pool. They asked the board to fix the problem.

Mt. Lebanon's swimmers aren't the only ones to experience health issues. North Allegheny Athletic Director Robert Bozzuto said he called a number of school districts while researching what do to about the problems-- dizziness, breathing difficulties and rashes-- that some swimmers were experiencing in his district.

Last month, the Franklin Regional School District in Westmoreland County decided to purchase an ultraviolet water cleansing system similar to the one at North Allegheny. There, too, swimmers were developing eye, skin and respiratory irritations.

The cost of the systems range from about $30,000-$50,000.

Swimming officials say the problem is created by chloramines, substances that are formed in the water when chlorine mixes with fluids from the body such as perspiration. When the water is moved around by swimmers, the chloramines are then released into the air and hover just above the pool surface, where swimmers are breathing.

The ultraviolet water disinfection system is said to eliminate chloramines.

Since the ultraviolet system was installed in North Allegheny, the health problems among swimmers have stopped. "It's doing a great job for us," Mr. Bozzuto said

In Mt. Lebanon, Facilties Director Gerald Ingram said his staff is researching the ultraviolet method and has met with those from B.R. Pools & Swim Shop. That's the same firm that sold the systems to North Allegheny and Franklin Regional school districts.

If the system could work for Mt. Lebanon, it would be a much less expensive solution than one pointed to in a 2002 study of the pool that indicated it would cost as much as $635,000 to fix, the largest expense a $450,000 pool dehumidification system.

The Mt. Lebanon board has been hesitant to make a major investment in the pool since it plans either a major renovation or new construction project at the high school within the next several years.

Mr. Ingram pointed out that the Allegheny County Health Department has found the Mt. Lebanon pool to meet its standards and that an air quality test done recently by SE Technologies found the air quality sufficient.

However, he said, SE Technologies did not test the air just above the water surface.

Mr. Bozzuto said North Allegheny's pool also met the standards of the county Health Department, but that student swimmers were still getting sick.

North Allegheny paid about $30,000 for the system, Mr. Bozzuto said . Franklin Regional was expecting to pay about $55,000.

In Mt. Lebanon, Mr. Ingram said he expects the board to discuss the issue next month when it begins budget discussions for 2006-2007.

Dr. Andrew MacGinnitie, an allergist at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, said European studies of chloramines at indoor pools have shown them to be an irritant for people with asthma. No U.S. studies have been done. In North Allegheny, swim team members show up at 5 a.m. to practice before school, then the pool is used throughout the day for physical education classes. Swim team members come again for practice after school. Then the pool is used by the Allegheny North swimming league and then it is open for community swims. That schedule is typical of most school district pools.

The ultraviolet system, installed between the filtering system and the pool, passes the pool water through a steel chamber with ultra-violet lights inside, said Michael Bonavita, an owner of B.R. Pools.

The system is designed to keep chloramine levels at 0.2 parts per million or below. Independent studies in the United States and other countries show that chloramine levels of 0.3 ppm are safe but that the levels should not be more than 0.7 ppm.