How much pee is in this pool?

[sojomojo]

I have a friend who absolutely refuses to swim in a public pool because she believes it’s a cesspool. That fear was reinforced when she heard a competitive swimmer say everyone pees in the pool because you have to stay hydrated and you can’t leave the pool during a match or practice. This article will reinforce her belief that it’s a cesspool. She does, however, swim in the lake during the summer months. I’ve pointed out to her that the lake water is probably more contaminated with street, agriculture, lawn care run-off, septic tank leaks, duck and other bird feces, parasites, etc.

https://swimswam.com/how-much-pee-is...s-if-you-dare/

Perhaps I’m aging myself, but I remember back in the 1960’s, my local swimming pool would have all the swimmers (mostly kids) completely leave the pool every hour or two. They would test the water, but its primary purpose was to give (or force) the kids the opportunity to empty their bladders in a toilet instead of the pool.

I am not sure how polluted the lake water is. This is indeed a big question.

However, pollutants in swimming pools are restricted by laws (at least where I live) and I FULLY agree with what is written in the article that you mentioned: https://swimswam.com/how-much-pee-is...s-if-you-dare/

In swimming pools, the same water that goes out through the gutter, comes back over and over. The water is looped back into the pool. In my area, outdoor pools are filled only once a year, and indoor pools 3 times. Any type of dirt, contaminant, dead cells, hair, grease, sweat, secretions stay in the pool unless properly disinfected or removed. Unfortunately, reaction with disinfectant generates hazardous products. The more people enter in the pool, dirty (or dare peing, pooing, spitting, etc.), the more disinfectant must be put in the water, thus the more there is generation of hazardous compounds/gas that might harm your health on the long terms, but also irritate the lungs on the short term, or promote headaches or eczema, or anything similar.

In my area, the contaminant thresholds ( for instance E. Coli) are sometimes exceeded in some swimming pools. It is very scary. Swimmers MUST clean the whole body, including the head (hair), the feet and the popo BEFORE even entering the swimming area.

Personally, I never enter pools for babies (the shallow ones).

[CoachBobM]

There is a lake in my town where public swimming is allowed, and they test the water regularly and sometimes have to close because of bacteria levels that are too high. Swimming pool water is also tested regularly, but pools almost never need to close.

In June of 1995, I got second degree burns on my hand. While it was healing, my doctor still allowed me to swim, but told me to do it first thing in the morning, when the chlorine had had all night to work. After swimming, I would shower and then apply antibiotic cream to my hand. And, no, I didn't get any infection!


Bob

Originally Posted by CoachBobM

There is a lake in my town where public swimming is allowed, and they test the water regularly and sometimes have to close because of bacteria levels that are too high. Swimming pool water is also tested regularly, but pools almost never need to close.

In June of 1995, I got second degree burns on my hand. While it was healing, my doctor still allowed me to swim, but told me to do it first thing in the morning, when the chlorine had had all night to work. After swimming, I would shower and then apply antibiotic cream to my hand. And, no, I didn't get any infection!


Bob

With all due respect, I am not sure what you mean by writing that "you did not get any infection!" after "applying antibiotic cream". Antibiotics are indeed designed to kill bacteria, and it is good so. Similarly, I am not sure what message you want to convey with "the lake is sometimes closed because of bacteria levels" and "swimming pools almost never need to close".


I think that it is responsible to remind everyone, including elite and long-time swimmers, what good practice is when entering the swimming area. In all swimming pools that I know of, where I live and abroad, it is mandatory to clean oneself (shower) beforehand. This is for a good reason, although I have to note, to my despair, that many do not do so. Swimming pools are a place of choice for microbial/fungal growth, because it is warm and humid, in particular indoor pools where air is constricted. Microbial growth is restricted by regular disinfection, but is promoted by nutriments brought in by people, swimmers or non-swimmers. Any type of dirt, contaminant, dead cells, hair, grease, sweat, secretions might become food for bacteria/fungi. I am not mentioning here cosmetics, hair gels, perfumes and alikes that might not be properly removed and stay in the water as contaminants.

Indeed, closure of swimming pools is rare, fortunately. However, at the cost of potential health issues, long or short term, due to the generation of hazardous compounds/gases. Also, measurements reflect the state of the water at the time of sampling. The thresholds may well be exceeded at other moments. In addition, microbial analysis take time and cost money. They are not necessarily done often.

This post is not meant to personally offend anyone in particular, nor do I want teach a lesson. Nevertheless, I think that it is the responsibility of everyone to keep our swimming pool environment CLEAN. It also applies to any environment by the way, whether nature, work place, or place of living.


My sincere apology for such a long post.

[CoachBobM]

Originally Posted by Abdargush

With all due respect, I am not sure what you mean by writing that "you did not get any infection!" after "applying antibiotic cream". Antibiotics are indeed designed to kill bacteria, and it is good so.

Sorry that I wasn't clear enough. The antibiotic cream was not being applied because I went in the pool. Showering, applying the antibiotic cream, and covering it with a sterile glove was part of the prescribed daily treatment for the burns. The force of the shower water served to debride the burned area. The antibiotic cream served to combat infection. My point was that the doctor did not feel there was any significant added risk from swimming first thing in the morning, when the pool chlorine had had all night to work. The doctor would not have felt this way about me swimming in a lake.

Similarly, I am not sure what message you want to convey with "the lake is sometimes closed because of bacteria levels" and "swimming pools almost never need to close".

I'm not sure why you're not sure what message I wanted to convey. I thought the message was very clear: Swimming in chlorinated pools generally poses less risk than swimming in lakes.

I think that it is responsible to remind everyone, including elite and long-time swimmers, what good practice is when entering the swimming area. In all swimming pools that I know of, where I live and abroad, it is mandatory to clean oneself (shower) beforehand. This is for a good reason, although I have to note, to my despair, that many do not do so. Swimming pools are a place of choice for microbial/fungal growth, because it is warm and humid, in particular indoor pools where air is constricted. Microbial growth is restricted by regular disinfection, but is promoted by nutriments brought in by people, swimmers or non-swimmers. Any type of dirt, contaminant, dead cells, hair, grease, sweat, secretions might become food for bacteria/fungi. I am not mentioning here cosmetics, hair gels, perfumes and alikes that might not be properly removed and stay in the water as contaminants.

As a swim coach and competitive swimmer, I suspect that I have visited more pools than you have, and I do know of pools that don't have a stated policy requiring swimmers to shower before entering the pool. And even those pools that do have such a policy often do little or nothing to enforce the policy. It's pretty easy, for example, to look at swimmers entering the pool area from a locker room, seeing whether their hair is wet, and sending them back to shower if it is not, but some pools with posted policies requiring showers don't do this.


Bob

[WFEGb]

Hello,

just a comment as a small consolation to us all: An also in pools swimming MD told me: The urin of healthy people is sterile... and for the rest trust the chlorine...

But what swimmer can give himself to such thoughts?...

Best regards,
Werner

[efdoucette]

Originally Posted by WFEGb

Hello,

just a comment as a small consolation to us all: An also in pools swimming MD told me: The urin of healthy people is sterile... and for the rest trust the chlorine...

But what swimmer can give himself to such thoughts?...

Best regards,
Werner

Haha, yes, it totally threw off my swim the other day. Every time I got water in my mouth (almost every breath) I remembered back to this thread and I'm sure I started lifting my head for breath.

But hey, you only live once.

She is right. Most swimmers pees in the pool. Sometimes I wondered that How they can swim in such water. The pool master should change the water after every 2 hours. Or at least the people should try to avoid doing such bad things in the pool.
I would say swimmers grow up please you are not child anymore.

Originally Posted by WFEGb

Hello,

just a comment as a small consolation to us all: An also in pools swimming MD told me: The urin of healthy people is sterile

Maybe, but it is important to add:
1. only by HEALTHY people. Ill people may develop bacterial infections in the kidney or downstream of it.
2. the penis (or the vagina) is certainly not sterile.

Originally Posted by WFEGb

... and for the rest trust the chlorine...

Utterly absurd.
Chlorine is not a magical substance that makes urine disappear. On the contrary, chlorine transforms urine (partly ammonia) by chemical reaction, into chloramine and other degradation products. The more there is urine and chlorine in the water, the more chloramines will be generated.

"Chloramines are all respiratory irritants with trichloramine being the most toxic (order of toxicity: monochloramine < dichloramine < trichloramine-most severe). They can also cause eye and skin irritations."

Chloramines are known to be hazardous chemicals.
Generally speaking, all organic substances (dead skin, hair, skin grease, stools or residues of it, dust on skin or hair, etc.) may be transformed into chloramine. Contaminants are mainly brought into the water by humans (swimmers). Every swimmer should get a shower and properly clean the entire body before entering the water. The dirtier the water, the more there is a need to add chlorine, subsequently generating chloramines.

Pool water, contrary to rivers or seas, is looped for months (sometimes drained only once a year). The only way to keep at a safe level is to physically remove the contaminant and disinfect by adding chemical. As shown, the desinfectant itself generates other hazardous chemicals by reacting with the contaminants.
This is food for thought for those with weaker health constitution or those who regularly go to indoor swimming pools.



"Chloramines can build up in the water, which means they can build up in the air if there is not enough fresh air surrounding pools and other places people swim in chlorinated water. This is particularly true for indoor aquatic facilities where air handling systems are not bringing in enough fresh air and exhausting enough chloramine-polluted air..."

"Chloramines that off gas from the water are heavier than air. This means they settle on top of the water’s surface where they can cause negative health effects in swimmers and spectators."

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swi...loramines.html

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_.../srwe2full.pdf
http://www.waterandhealth.org/newsle...aning_air.html

PS:
It is not because a world champion or an Olympic champion does not get a shower before entering water that it means this is right.