What happens if you accidentally pee in a pool?

Cyanogen chloride

Cyanogen chloride
Cyanogen chloride is a highly toxic chemical compound with the formula CNCl.
https://en.wikipedia.org › Cyanogen_chloride
forms when chlorine from the pool reacts with nitrogen in urine. It acts like tear gas, roughing up the eyes, nose and lungs, and it's classified as an agent of chemical warfare. Predictably, the study quickly resulted in headlines like “Why peeing in the pool is chemical warfare.”

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Is pee in a pool harmful?

Being in a pool containing pee doesn't sound appealing, but it isn't dangerous. Chlorine is added to swimming pools to kill germs, including microbes that are present in pee. A well-managed pool should destroy any harmful bacteria from urine.

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Can someone tell if you pee in the pool?

There is currently no such urine indicator dye that exists. "Chlorine and other disinfectants are added to a swimming pool to destroy germs. Peeing in a pool depletes chlorine and actually produces an irritant that makes people's eyes turn red," said Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC's Healthy Swimming Program.

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What happens if you pee in chlorine?

Chlorine reacts with urine to form a host of potentially toxic compounds called disinfection byproducts. These can include anything from the chloramines that give well-used pools the aforementioned odor, to cyanogen chloride, which is classified as a chemical warfare agent.

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Can you get an infection from peeing in a pool?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are another culprit of swimming pool season. A UTI occurs when bacteria travels up the urethra and travels through the urine into the bladder. The offending bacteria can come from icky pool water, not showering after, or from sitting around in a damp bathing suit.

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Stop peeing in the pool. Chlorine doesn't work like you think.

42 related questions found

What kills urine in a pool?

Urine is sterile, so there should be nothing for chlorine to "kill". Instead, urine must be oxidized. One chemical in urine is particularly difficult to oxidize: urea, or uric acid. Urea (CH4N2O) will break down into other nitrogen compounds like ammonia, which will combine with chlorine to form chloramines.

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Can you get sick from pee?

It's unlikely that your own urine could cause an infection even if bacteria in the urine made their way into your body through a cut or other wound on your legs or feet.

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Do chlorine kills pee?

Pool chemicals kill most germs within minutes, but some live for days. Chemicals also break down pee, poop, sweat, dirt, and other gunk from swimmers' bodies.

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What percentage of people pee in pools?

In one survey, at least 19 percent of adults admitted to having urinated in a swimming pool. Adults. Not kids. Another survey put that figure as high as 40 percent.

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Does chlorine cancel out pee?

Nope, that isn't how it works. Chlorine will kill bacteria, but since urine is basically sterile, there is nothing for the chlorine to “kill.” Furthermore, chlorine does nothing to “remove” the urine from the water. If someone pees in the pool, it is there to stay.

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How do you discreetly pee in a pool?

Keep moving: The most important thing you need to do is keep yourself mobile. Don't stand still (or sit) and pee like you usually would, because it will become clear you're urinating in the pool right away. Don't close your eyes, don't shake it off, don't start talking to the guy (or girl) next to you.

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Is pee full of germs?

A new study has shown that despite the common belief that urine is sterile, it isn't at all. In fact, the new research shows bacteria in the urine of healthy women—a finding that could turn a time-tested diagnostic tool on its head.

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What happens if you swallow pee?

Urine is made up of water and waste products that are intended to be eliminated from the body. Ingesting urine re-introduce these waste products back into the body, putting stress on the kidneys and may ultimately lead to dehydration or possible kidney damage.

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Is there bacteria in urine?

Most of the time, your urine is sterile. This means there is no bacteria growing. On the other hand, if you have symptoms of a bladder or kidney infection, bacteria will be present and growing in your urine. Sometimes, your health care provider may check your urine for bacteria, even when you do not have any symptoms.

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Why you shouldn't drink pee?

A healthy person's urine is about 95 percent water and sterile, so in the short term it's safe to drink and does replenish lost water. But the other 5 percent of urine comprises a diverse collection of waste products, including nitrogen, potassium, and calcium—and too much of these can cause problems.

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Is pee water clean?

Urine is about 95% water. It is not completely sterile of microorganisms, as many sources incorrectly state. But it doesn't contain any of the harmful microbes that can make you immediately sick—such as those you might ingest from contaminated wilderness water, and which are generally transferred through feces instead.

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How long do pee germs last?

Do not keep it for longer than 24 hours. The bacteria in the urine sample can multiply if it is not kept in a fridge. If this happens, it could affect the test results.

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How sterile is human urine?

Conclusions: As also shown by other investigators, urine of healthy people is normally not sterile. The role of the routinely not cultivated bacteria in healthy and diseased subjects needs to be established. It may alter the diagnostics of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the urogenital tract.

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How do you test for urine in a pool?

There's an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium (ACE) that you can find in processed foods and drinks. Turns out, it can also be found in public pools. Researchers at the University of Alberta have estimated the amount of urine in 31 public pools by measuring the amount of ACE in them.

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Why you shouldn't pee in the shower?

Depending on your body type, allowing yourself to urinate while standing in the running water could be going against your body's methods for holding it when you need to. "From a pelvic floor perspective, the position for peeing in the shower is not conducive to pelvic floor relaxation," Jeffrey-Thomas told Buzzfeed.

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What percentage of guys sit down to pee?

collected answers from 1,500 men aged 20 to 60 and found that a total of 60.9 percent of men prefer to sit. The survey covered only postures for urinating at sit-down toilets and did not consider situations where urinals are also available.

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Is it OK for men to pee while sitting?

So yes, it is perfectly fine to sit, if for no other reason than one is less likely to cause a mess.

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Can you boil pee to make it drinkable?

Boil the urine and collect the steam on glass or plastic. The best way is to have two bottles and a long stretch of plastic tubing between them. Putting urine in one bottle and boiling it will push the steam along the tube until it condenses into drinkable water.

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Is clear pee good?

Is clear urine always a good thing? In most cases, clear urine is a sign that you're well hydrated. And that's a positive thing because good hydration helps your body function at its best. But, in some cases, clear pee may mean that you're drinking too much water and you're too hydrated.

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