Mothers who swim during pregnancy increase child's risk of eczema and asthma

Children whose mothers swim during pregnancy may have an increased risk of developing eczema and asthma when they are older, scientists claim.

Airborne chemicals from chlorine, used to keep pools hygienic, may alter a child's immune system before it is even born, raising the chance of these conditions. 

The same is true of everyday cleaning products and some cosmetics, researchers warned in an article for the British Journal of Dermatology.

The scientists, from the St John's Institute of Dermatology in London and the University of Manchester, have been investigating the increase in cases of asthma, eczema, and hayfever, which have risen fivefold over the past five decades.