Swimming is one of the most popular sports around the world. Not like other sports, swimmers have a direct contact with water in swimming pools, therefore, the cleanness of water will influence swimmers’ skins, eyes, and other organs. One of the most commonplace issues is the amount of urine in a swimming pool. Many people have admitted to peeing in a swimming pool, even professional swimmers may do it during long distance training.
This is an example of a clean swimming pool (source)
Scientists have created a way to test the amount of urine in the water by measuring the concentration of an artificial sweetener, acesulfame potassium(ACE), that is commonly found in processed food and passes through the body unaltered.
People always think the disinfectants in the swimming pool will kill the harmful substance in urine. It is not true, disinfectants are forms of chlorine, bromine, ozone, and ultraviolet radiation. They only kill microbes by reacting with and disrupting the function of biomolecules. Actually, Urine is sterile, compounds in urine such as urea, ammonia, and creatinine will react with disinfectants to form byproducts such as DBP and trichloramine. DBP is a commonly used plasticizer that leads to eye and respiration irritation, trichloramine is a dangerous substance and was first prepared in 1812 by Pierre Louis Dulong, and cost his two fingers and an eye in two explosions. It links to asthma and other respiratory issues.
This is how trichloramine is formed in a swimming pool. (source)
Swimmers should be encouraged to take a shower before getting in the pool and refraining from peeing in it to improve the swimming environment for themselves and for everybody else who uses the pool. It is also important to rinse the body after swimming.
I am not encouraging people to not swim since the health benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through swimming far exceed the potential risks associated with urine in swimming pools.
Written by: Nancy Ma
