Can you pee in a public pool? Still not sure whether to buy a personal pool? In accordance with a recent study, about 20% of persons recognize that pee in a public pool. Indeed, maintaining a personal pool can be a problem, but at least you will know that people don’t use it as a toilet.
However, it gets worse. In addition to not being inoffensive, public pool urination could be a real health danger. This way concluded by a new research that established that urine in combination with chlorine can lead to dangerous chemical reactions.
Conclusions
Scientists have analyzed samples of pool water mixed with different other chemicals. These included uric acid, excreted from the body in urine. The research revealed that uric acid reacted with chlorine to produce cyanogen chloride (CNCl) and trichloramine (NCl3).
This is not good news for any person who spends much time next to the pool. Cyanogen chloride can negatively affect eyes and respiratory organs (earlier, it was even regarded as chemical weapon). Trichloramine has been associated with asthmatic condition and other chronic diseases.
Urine-indicator dyes
You’ve probably heard that if a person pees in a public pool, a specific dye makes the water changes the color. Thus, if you don’t see any jets of bright water around, then the pool must be clean, isn’t it?
Unluckily, the availability of a urine-indicator dye in public pools is only a myth, since any dye that would react with urine would also react with other organic substances present in the pool water.
However, some public pool operators really put signs warning the visitors of the availability of urine-detector dyes, since making swimmers think they’ll be revealed if they pee in the pool can be an effective preventive purpose. In addition, it provides the rest of the visitors with a false sense of safety about the purity of the water.
Other health dangers present at the public pools
Unfortunately, there are many other potential health problems at public pools. The recent research has shown that the majority of visitors don’t take a shower before plunging into the pool. Therefore, dirt, sweat, etc. on their bodies go into circulation.
The worst germs available in public pools are Shigella, norovirus and E. coli. They can stay for days even in the cleanest pool. Indoor pools and aquatic parks are especially prone to similar sanitation problems.
Of course, personal pools can also be dangerous for health if not adequately maintained. However, with reduced traffic and more respectful visitors, you will not need spend all your time thinking about what’s swimming in the pool next to you.