Exactly how much pee is in your public pool? Scientists did the research so you don’t have to.
First and foremost, almost everyone has peed in the pool at least once in their life. Whether that was when they were too young to remember or too lazy to get out of the pool to go to the bathroom, it has definitely happened. But how much urine do you actually think your public pool holds? Scientists did the dirty research so you don’t have to. Studies conducted at the University of Alberta in Canada give an average of exactly how much urine can be found in your typical community pool. The answer you ask? Let’s just say you might take up a new summer activity.
The research was performed by testing two different sized public pools with an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium. This sweetener acts as a urine placement because it can be identified in the water with different temperatures and pH levels just like urine in a pool.
Research found that over a three week period in a pool of 110,000 gallons of water, swimmers released 7.92 gallons of urine into the pool! That’s a high enough number for someone to vow never to go into a swimming pool again. When you compare the immense amount of water in a pool to the 7.92 gallons of urine, though, it is actually quite small . But STILL.
In case you weren’t already grossed out enough, in a second sample, researchers tested 250 samples from 31 other pools and this time hot tubs as well. Research found that the acesulfame potassium levels were 570 times higher than tap water. You know how your eyes are red after swimming? Yeah, that’s not from the chlorine.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the reason your eyes are red after swimming is in fact due to the swimmers who take it upon themselves to pee in the pool.
In the event that you’re brave enough to go for a summertime swim, please follow these precautions from the Centers of Disease Control:
-Shower before you get into the water to prevent bringing in unwanted things into the water.
-Avoid swallowing water at all costs.
-Steer VERY CLEAR of the pool if you have bowel or diarrhea issues.
-DON’T go number one or two in the pool.
