This Is How Much Piss Is in the Pool
If you’re always worried about whether there is urine in the pool before jumping into the pool, worry no more: there definitely is. That’s how much.
This month, the Journal of the American Chemical Society published a study that found a large pool could hold up to 20 gallons of urine. To test the urine, the scientists measured the concentration of an artificial sweetener, which is usually found in processed food and can pass through the body unchanged, according to the Guardian.
They tested 250 samples in 31 different pools. 20 gallons of urine is a lot, but keep in mind that this was in a pool of about 220,000 gallons. There was even more urine in the hot tub, according to the study. One hotel jacuzzi they tried had three times more sweetener than the worst pool.
Oh, and if you’ve ever consoled yourself with the thought that chlorine is likely to kill any urine in the pool, there is other bad news:
However, although urine is sterile, compounds in urine, including urea, ammonia, and creatinine, react with disinfectants to form byproducts known as DBPs that can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract. Long-term exposure to the compounds has been linked to asthma in professional swimmers and pool workers.
The good news is that scientists think they will be able to use their sweetener test in the future as a way to measure urine in swimming pools to keep them hygienic. Until then, beware of the water and know what you are getting yourself into. To find out more, head over to the study at the link below.
Sweetened Pools & Jacuzzis | American Chemical Society via Guardian