Peeing in the Pool

evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
edited March 2014 in General Discussion
The latest from science:

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2014/mar/pool-pee/

The average swimmer introduces the equivalent of up to two shot glasses of urine into a pool each time he or she takes a dip, according to previous research.

Bottoms up!
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Comments

  • Our local pool is about 12ft deep at the, err, deep end. Some swims you can see the hazy, cloudy looking water at the bottom. Those days do not involve diving practice. Pesky kids piddle!
  • ssthomasssthomas DenverCharter Mem​ber
    Try as I may, I can't bring myself to pee in a pool....
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
    Niek wrote:
    So outdoor is better?
    Salt-water fish pee constantly. ;)

    Or worse, as we learned from W.C. Fields. ;)

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • Wonder if this causes the next post down-Swimmers itch
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    I'm guessing sweat and other bodily fluids also contribute to toxic natatorium air quality.
    We used to have a working scale in our locker room, and I would do a pre and post workout weigh in. For a typical 75 minute session, I would weigh 1.5 lbs less post workout. Factor in a 27 oz bottle of sport drink and that's a lot of perspiration. (Yes... I can get through 75 minutes without peeing)
    thelittlemerwookiemalinaka

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • ColmBreathnachColmBreathnach Charter Member
    Being male, and therefore cursed with the inability to multitask, I have found that when training hard there are even fewer things I can do only simultaneously. While gasping for air at the end of a set, seeing stars with a pulse rate of 200, all my efforts for muscle control are concentrated on breathing, not my sphincter.

    Sorry.
  • I probably make up for what others do not contribute! But it comes from being an age-grouper and college swimmer...there are so many sadistical coaches out there that say "pee in the pool!" when you have to go during practice, and when the average workout is 2 hrs long, and I drink about 16 oz a workout (really I don't drink enough! but I drink before too), depending on how hot it is...peeing in the pool just isn't an issue! But really we are so hydrated that it just come out clear. ;)
  • SharkoSharko Tomales BayGuest
    let's be honest....most of us probably pee in the pool and I don't think any of us will die from pee induced necrosis or whatever you might call it.....

    "I never met a shark I didn't like"

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    Don't pee in the pool after drinking Berocca
  • JBirrrdJBirrrd MarylandSenior Member
    edited March 2014
    They say there are 2 types of swimmers:
    Those who pee in the pool
    and liars.
    dpm50
  • bobswimsbobswims Santa Barbara CACharter Member
    I used to never pee in the pool (at least after I turned 12), but I did it regularly when I was training for the English Channel. While the pool water was very warm, it gave me an opportunity to learn how to relax my lower body. Worked like a charm.
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    edited March 2014
    Bladder Control Exercises. Some of you guys seem to need them.

    Waterproof Adult Nappies (Diapers) also.

    :-)

    loneswimmer.com

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    What would we do without the practical and informative articles at WikiHow?

    http://www.wikihow.com/Pee-in-a-Swimming-Pool
  • ColmBreathnachColmBreathnach Charter Member
    edited March 2014
    But make sure you nobody sees you
  • Leonard_JansenLeonard_Jansen Charter Member
    sharks-in-the-pool.jpg

    -LBJ
    dpm50

    “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde

  • rosemarymintrosemarymint Charleston, SCCharter Member
    This thread is totally making me relive one of my favorite old school Nickelodeon shows. Fast forward to minute 3 for this gem.

  • NatalieswimsNatalieswims Orange County, CAMember
    Guilty ;(
  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member
    I have managed a 3 1/2 hour pool swim without relieving myself, though it is not particularly pleasant. The issue for me is getting out to use the facilities no matter how briefly invites someone to jump into your lane (which you may already be splitting).

    Thankfully my long swims are in an outdoor pool at least... :D

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    dc_in_sf wrote:
    I have managed a 3 1/2 hour pool swim without relieving myself, though it is not particularly pleasant. The issue for me is getting out to use the facilities no matter how briefly invites someone to jump into your lane (which you may already be splitting).

    Thankfully my long swims are in an outdoor pool at least... :D

    Exactly my "issue"! I don't get out to pee anymore, unless the pool is completely empty, or I've had some Berocca
    Copelj26
  • Leonard_JansenLeonard_Jansen Charter Member
    dc_in_sf wrote:
    I have managed a 3 1/2 hour pool swim without relieving myself, though it is not particularly pleasant. The issue for me is getting out to use the facilities no matter how briefly invites someone to jump into your lane (which you may already be splitting).

    Here is the secret to being sure no one steals your lane: Go out of your way to cultivate friendships with all the Crabby Old Ladies at your pool. At the two pools I swim at I've done this for years (it can take quite awhile to break the ice with COL's). I always say "Hi" to them, notice when they have a new swimsuit, remember their names, spend a few minutes talking, remember their pet's names, and remember most other details that they tell me.

    Now when I get out to use the loo, I'll say to one of them something like "Lucy, I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to get out for a moment to use the men's room. Could you tell anyone that tries to get in my lane that I'm not done with it yet?" A wolverine with rabies isn't half as formidible as a COL on a mission. Last Saturday I had exactly that happen and when I got back to my lane there were two guys that Lucy had not only kept from taking my lane, but she wouldn't even let them share the lane with me and made them go to other people's lanes instead. It looked like both of them were going to need extensive psychotherapy to deal with the emotional trauma that Lucy inflicted on them.

    -LBJ

    dpm50curly

    “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde

  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member
    Exactly my "issue"! I don't get out to pee anymore, unless the pool is completely empty, or I've had some Berocca

    For those that don't know Berrocca is a multi-vitamin that contains a ridiculous amount of Vitamin B complex which makes your pee fluorescent...

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • Leonard_JansenLeonard_Jansen Charter Member
    dc_in_sf wrote:
    ... contains a ridiculous amount of Vitamin B complex which makes your pee fluorescent...

    If that's the case, then I'd expect Vegemite (the food of the Gods) to do the same. The stuff has insane amounts of B vitamins.

    -LBJ

    “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    I'll let you know
  • SydneDSydneD Senior Member
    I can say with COMPLETE honesty that I have NEVER peed in a pool as an adult grown human person. But maybe that's because my training pool is in my backyard and I have to walk about 5 steps to the toilet.
    I do, however, swim after the men's team when my team practices at UMASS and dang, I know it's happening.
    It's almost worse, however, when a member of the team spits a big loogie into my lane before they get out.
    Copelj26
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited March 2014
    TL/DR for this thread:

    Peeing in the pool is gross.
    Most people who spend more than an hour continuously in the pool (i.e., most of us) do it.
    It is still gross.
  • ZoeSadlerZoeSadler Charter Member
    edited March 2014
    I don't. I swear honestly that I don't pee in the pool! I do get out the pool every 50 minutes or so to go though, sometimes more often than that.

    I think it all stems from something I was told when I was a club swimmer in the 1980s. I was told that there was a special chemical in the pool that made pee turn pink if you went in the pool and then everyone would know what you were doing.

    I only found out it was a myth about a year ago!

    To be honest, I feel quite sick at the thought that others in the pool may be doing so. Yuk.
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    edited March 2014
    @jbirrrd might call the rest of us liars, but anyone with asthma or other respiratory health concerns may take the issue more seriously. Just because nearly everyone dismisses it, doesn't make it ok but at the same time, I'm not freaking out about it.

    Scientists have long-known that when urea—a compound present in urine—combines with chlorine, it gives off nitrogen trichloramine (NCl3), a poisonous gas that can cause acute lung injury. Scientists monitoring the presence of nitrogen trichloramine during a national swimming competition found that it doubled after the first day, increasing by three to four times throughout the rest of the four-day event.
    +
    Until now, much less has been known about chlorine’s reaction with uric acid, another chemical in urine. However, recent research indicates that uric acid is responsible not only for more nitrogen trichloramine, but also for a large share—between 24% and 68%—of another dangerous gas, cyanogen chloride, that wafts around indoor swimming pools. If inhaled, the latter compound can harm the lungs, heart and central nervous system, says Jing Li, professor of applied chemistry at China Agriculture University and co-author of the new study. Both nitrogen trichloramine and cyanogen chloride have been linked to acute and chronic health problems among swimmers (pdf), as well as among lifeguards and pool staff.
    +
    What does this mean in practice? Imagine a smallish indoor pool during peak hours (pdf, p.4), with 20 swimmers using it simultaneously. Scientists estimate that each swimmer releases 50 mL (0.25 cups) of urine, which in this scenario would equal two pint glasses of pee in total. If the chlorine levels were consistent with those typical of pools in western Europe, that would cause cyanogen chloride concentrations of 12 µg/L (.012 mg/L)—a good bit higher than the the 5 µg/L that the US National Institutes of Health cites as the lowest irritant concentration.
    +
    What’s to be done? Li identifies two ways to decrease the concentration of cyanogen chloride. Upping the pool’s chlorine content reduces the cyanogen chloride problem (though it may exacerbate the nitrogen trichloramine problem). Better yet, he suggests: “swimmers can improve pool conditions by simply not urinating in pool.”

    loneswimmer.com

  • SuirThingSuirThing Carrick-on-Suir, IrelandMember
    JBirrrd wrote:
    They say there are 2 types of swimmers:
    Those who pee in the pool
    and liars.

    I drink Berocca and share a lane with @loneswimmer
    if I did it ye'd probably have read about it!!

    neither a liar nor a piddler be ....


    I tried to convince myself, but, orange flavour electrolyte, mixed with hot chocolate,
    tastes nothing like Terry's Chocolate Orange ....

  • JBirrrdJBirrrd MarylandSenior Member
    edited March 2014
    I said:
    They say there are 2 types of swimmers:
    Those who pee in the pool
    and liars.

    Goodness! It’s a fairly oft repeated saying I shared to make light of the situation. Obviously the humor got lost in the cross-cultural translation.

    For the record, I am not calling @loneswimmer or any of you liars. I noticed several forum members "liked" my comment. Let’s just assume they simply appreciated the humor and their "like" was not a confession about how they void while training in pools.

    I do not choose to be the poster child for pool peeing. Indeed there are far more prominent swimmers who deserve that title:
    Diana Nyad* “She volunteered the bit about peeing in the pool, unprompted.” (from Evan)
    And Ryan Lochte.

    I do not publicly confess to nor do I endorse peeing in pools. It is bad, very bad. And gross, very gross. Don't do it. But if you do, never ever admit to it. Bad idea.

  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    @JBirrrd, no worries, just having a bad week and being overly sensitive. Though as someone with asthma, I have been making the case for how bad it is and why it's bad for years.

    As we all know asthma rates are higher amongst pool swimmers. Those most affected at those who can swim properly or breathe closest to the surface. Therefore the ones most affected are little kids and those with a decent technique. The casual acceptance of pissing int the pool amongst adult swimmers because coaches (understandably) tell age groups they can't leave the pool which develops into a bad habit, is lamentable and everyone excuses it. Unfortunately, even most pool staff I've spoken with don't understand the problem.

    As @David_Barra points out, all organics such as soap, conditioner, perfume, deodorant all contribute to the issue, something which is a particular recent development in the pool @SuirThing & I use, and we haven't been able to figure out why. There have been days recently when the taste of perfumes and deodorant in the water is so bad one feels nauseated especially if you are working hard. The pool management of course think @SuirThing & I are imagining it and dismiss us.

    loneswimmer.com

  • tortugatortuga Senior Member
    I was caught peeing in the pool just the other day. The lifeguard screamed so loud I almost fell in. ;o)
  • classic tortuga.......
  • Leonard_JansenLeonard_Jansen Charter Member
    That means if each person is peeing 0.8L of the highly concentrated urine, their entire day's yield, into this pool, you'd need about three million people peeing in that pool.

    I bet there are almost that many in this pool:

    china-crowded-pool-1%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800

    -LBJ

    “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member
    That pool is 98% pee!

    Seriously, as a lifeguard, that picture makes me queasy.....for many reasons.

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • HaydnHaydn Member
    There are two types of swimmers, the shy ones who pee in the pool and the brave ones, who also pee in the pool..... From the top diving board.
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

    After tracking the levels of the sweetener in two public pools in Canada over a three-week period they calculated that swimmers had released 75 litres of urine – enough to fill a medium-sized dustbin – into a large pool (about 830,000 litres, one-third the size of an Olympic pool) and 30 litres into a second pool, around half the size of the first.

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    EW!

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    I've no doubt of this, but I try not to think about it, just as when I swim open water, I try not to think about what lurks below the surface.

  • lakespraylakespray Senior Member
    edited March 2017

    evmo said:
    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

    After tracking the levels of the sweetener in two public pools in Canada over a three-week period they calculated that swimmers had released 75 litres of urine – enough to fill a medium-sized dustbin – into a large pool (about 830,000 litres, one-third the size of an Olympic pool) and 30 litres into a second pool, around half the size of the first.

    Or to put it in perspective about .00008% volume of the pool is pee. I wonder how much more is sweat, lotions, perfume, residual shampoo's, conditioners, dead skin, hair...........

    Let's face it, many of those appalled at peeing in the pool don't necessarily take a real shower before getting in.

    When I was in Reykjavik, Iceland a couple of years ago I swam at the beautiful Laugardalslaug Natatorium. Two fifty meter pools with very little chlorine. They have so much naturally heated water in Iceland they can just keep running fresh water through the pools almost like a river lowering the need for chlorine. That being said, they also require a compulsory naked shower and they actually observe you doing it. One must scrub the nether regions, lol. As I did my research, I knew this was coming but I think many Americans would be shocked. I'll trade it anytime for not having to deal with chlorine.

    pavlicovgregocIronMikedpm50
  • gregocgregoc Charter Member

    Actually it is closer to 0.01%, but that is still low.

  • MoCoMoCo Worcester, MASenior Member

    At my pool, there are a few regulars where I can tell they've gotten in the pool without seeing them due to the stank coming off of them (perfume, cologne, and with one older woman, garlic. blech.) I asked the aquatic director to ask the guards to enforce the showering rule, and she was very hedge-y. I'm toying with the idea of reporting them to the city health department, mostly because my (basement) pool is really kind of gross. I try not to think about it too closely.

  • The perfumes and lotions... ohhhh lord are those bad! I try not to think of what lurks in the pool and to put my faith in chemistry to kill it! But the lotions and perfumes, I have no idea what these things are made of that they can stink up a while aquatic center pool!

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