Picture this: the weather is nice and warm. You are with your friends, your family, or even on your own and all you want to do is jump in the pool. On a hot summer day, there's nothing like taking a dip into the cool, blue water of the nearest swimming pool. Some people like to have a wee in the water, but you should definitely be careful if you do it.
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In fact, all types of pools, whether they are large or small, hide a secret that no one dares to talk about. Trust us, the effects of mixing chlorinated water with urine may surprise you, and it can have dangerous consequences on your health.
A lot of people do it, but no one dares to admit it
Let's be honest, most people have done it at some point, there is no need to deny it. Peeing in the pool is a much more common practice than one would think. Indeed, we have already told you about a study from 2017 indicating that a public pool would contain an average of 75 litres of urine. So much for swimming in happiness.
Who doesn't love the beautiful blue colour of water? Do you know where it comes from? Well, the water from swimming pools is mixed with sweeteners. But inside the clear blue water, everyone's urine mixes with the chemicals, which means everyone is actually swimming in a dangerous cocktail. As Ernest Blatchey, an environmental engineer at Purdue University, explains, urinating in a pool is very similar to secondhand smoking:
I think we as a culture have evolved to make it unacceptable. If people understood [the same] for pool chemistry, no one would subject their neighbors to cyanogen chloride.
Read more:Beware! Public swimming pools are dirtier than you think
It all adds up into a dangerous cocktail
A whole process of water sanitisation is carried out by the machines to disinfect the water and protect everyone who is bathing from all kinds of infections. The main disinfectant used is chlorine, which is also present in bleach. Its dosage in swimming pool water is highly regulated and cannot exceed 3 to 4 mg per litre.
When a person pees in the pool, their urine mixes with the chlorine, and causes the formation of two harmful substances, trichloramine and cyanogen chloride. Trichloramine flies into the air and its accumulation in the pool halls can cause eye and respiratory tract irritation, even leading to rhinitis and asthma attacks. Cyanogen chloride is a powerful irritant that affects the body's ability to use oxygen.
Read more:Pelvic health: Women should never pee in the shower, here’s why
It's even worse if you avoid the shower
Some people haven't realised it yet, but if showers are installed after the locker rooms, it's not to smell nice before going for a swim. It is the first step before swimming, as it allows you to clean your body of many substances harmful to the hygiene of the pool, such as lotions, sunscreen, or sweat.
Urinating in the pool bypassing this step is the ultimate combo to reinforce the toxicity of the water and to cause the appearance of carcinogenic substances such as nitrosamines. To make matters worse, one study found that about 4 out of 10 people bypass the showers and go straight into the pool.
This article has been adapted from Gentside FR.
Read more:Pelvic health: You should never pee just before you leave your house, here's why
Sources used:
CDC: Swimming-related illnesses
The Atlantic: Chemists Decree: Don't Pee in the Pool
Popular Science: Peeing in the pool is actually really bad for you. And everyone else.
