Statistics say about one in every five people pee in the swimming pool, even the most decorated Olympian – Michael Phelps, admits to doing it in the pool. Although unhygienic, peeing in pools wasn’t considered harmful. But according to a new study, this warm yellow patch of water in the pool is hazardous to your health.
Published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, this research says chlorine reacts with the contents present in urine to create harmful byproducts. For examining these dangerous byproducts, membrane introduction mass spectrometry technique was used. Urine contains Uric acid which reacts with chlorine in the water to produce trichloramine and Cyanogen Chloride, both considered to be harmful. While Cyanogen Chloride is a toxic compound that has been linked to disorders of the heart, lungs and central nervous system; Trichloramine has been linked with acute respiratory disorders. Urine and sweat both contain uric acid, but, the composition of uric acid in sweat and the resulting byproduct is negligible whereas its urine composition adds up to 24 to 64 percent of cyanogen chloride and 3 to 4 percent trichloramine found in swimming pools.
However, in the presence of chlorine, cyanogen chlorides decays as fast as it forms. But, consider a scenario where there are lot of people in the pool, the depletion of chlorine will be much faster, more of cyanogen chloride and because of less chlorine, its decay will be much slower.
Conclusion as per the study: “Because uric acid introduction to pools is attributable to urination, which is largely a voluntary process for most swimmers, opportunities exist for significant improvement of air and water quality in pools via changes in swimmer hygiene practices. Specifically, if swimmers avoided urinating in pools, then air and water quality would likely improve independent of other changes in water treatment or air circulation.”
In other words, peeing in the pool not only changes color but also gives disorders. It is better to use a restroom for hygienic and safety reasons. Next time when you think of warming the pool think of its side effects.
