In a worst case scenario, when urine combines with chlorine, a chemical reaction can occur that is quite unhealthy for us humans. Urine is made up of organic waste compounds such as urea which, when combined with chlorine, produces cyanogen chloride, an extremely harmful compound.
The study found that a chemical in urine and sweat, called uric acid, undergoes a chemical reaction with chlorine to produce two substances– cyanogen chloride and trichloramine. These substances can be inhaled by swimmers, especially those who swim indoors.
When this urine comes into contact with chlorine, it creates chloramines, which is what's giving off the odor. When your eyes burn while swimming, that's another sign of trouble. Cyanogen chloride is a chemical created when someone pees in a pool. It's a toxic chemical that causes your eyes to burn.
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.
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.
—How do our eyes move in perfect synchrony? And yes, about 20 gallons of pee sounds gross — especially if you picture it as 20 milk jugs lined up in a row. But in a 220,000-gallon pool, that's only 0.01 percent of the total liquid in the pool — in other words, a drop in the bucket.
Yes, chlorine and other pool chemicals will act as disinfectants and kill certain bacteria and algae. But urine isn't a living substance. It can't be “killed.” When you pee in the pool, the chlorine doesn't make it magically disappear.
Chloramine is the byproduct that's produced when the chlorine in the pool water combines with swimmer's waste (body oils, skin flakes, etc.) and other contaminants. It's this chemical compound that gives off the strong odour and can cause irritation to swimmer's eyes and skin.
Healthy pools don't have a strong chemical smell. 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.
The average amount of pee in a public swimming pool is...
Technically that's only . 000079 percent of the liquid in the pool, if that makes you feel better. In the bigger pool with 220,000 gallons, they found 19.8 gallons of urine.
Chemical reactions in pool water make it difficult to test for urine, so a proxy – a stand-in substance – is needed. Enter acesulfame potassium or Ace K, an artificial sweetener that is often used in processed foods and therefore widely consumed.
Swim diapers are an essential piece of swimwear and any child who isn't toilet-trained will need to wear one in a swimming pool.
But keep in mind that baby swim diapers are only meant to contain solids. They are non-absorbent which means the baby's pee will pass through it. So, once your baby is out of the pool or water, you must change him into a regular diaper.
Non-living organic waste (bather waste) is a huge contributor to cloudy pool water. This includes body waste, oils, saliva, dead skin, sweat and urine.
Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. Not only is it bad for your health, but it can be bad for your pool due to the increase in chlorine. High chlorine levels decrease the pH of your pool's water, making it more acidic.
Ensure the water is tested using a test kit before entering the tub. Generally, it should take anywhere from 1 hour to 48 hours for the chlorine to dissipate completely. If you decide to shock your hot tub, it'll take about 24 to 48 hours to reduce the chlorine level.
Which disease could be spread via swimming pool contamination? Swimmers can inadvertently become exposed to a number of potentially dangerous waterborne pathogens that can contaminate pool water including E. coli, Salmonella, Camplobacter, Legionella, Pseudomonas and norovirus.
The most common swimming-related illness is diarrhea. Swallowing even a tiny bit of water contaminated with germs from poop can cause diarrheal illness. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, norovirus, and E. coli.
What type of diseases are communicable in pool water? Skin, ear, nose, throat, and respiratory disease have been linked to swimming. The most common recreational illness contracted during pool use is Cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium is a parasite that is shed in the feces of humans.
Human urine is composed primarily of water (95%). The rest is urea (2%), creatinine (0.1%), uric acid (0.03%), chloride, sodium, potassium, sulphate, ammonium, phosphate and other ions and molecules in lesser amounts30 (Table 1).
Chlorine can strip off natural oils from your hair, leaving it dry and brittle. Regular exposure to chlorine can make your hair highly porous. Chlorine can change the colour of your hair. It can weaken your hair strands, resulting in split ends.
Based off the average levels of ACE detected, researchers estimated that one 220,000 gallon pool -- which is about one-third the size of an Olympic swimming pool -- had an estimated urine volume of 75 liters. A smaller 110,000 galloon pool had an estimated urine volume of 30 liters.