Lifestyle

The Disturbing Amount Of Pee In Pools Could Be Making Olympic Swimmers Sick

by Talia Koren
REUTERS

Planning on taking a dip in the pool this weekend? Might want to re-think that.

According to scientists, there are 30 to 80 milliliters of pee per person in swimming pools. Compare that to a shot glass, which traditionally holds 44 milliliters of liquid. So yeah, there could be two shots of urine per person in any pool you're in.

Swimming in other people's urine is not only gross, but it's also a health hazard -- especially for people who spend a significant amount of time in pools, like Olympic athletes.

All this time, you probably thought the chlorine in pools protected you from other people's pee (and your own), but that's not the case.Pool water is treated with three chemicals that are OK for us to swim in, but not OK for bacteria. These chemicals basically make swimming pools giant tubs of disinfectant. Sounds clean, right? Well, they're supposed to be.

Until people pee in them.

The chemicals in pools are mostly safe, but they can react to stuff on our bodies, like dirt, sweat, lotion and urine.

Why is this so bad? Well, urine reacts with chlorine to make trichloramine, which creates that classic pool smell we all associate with summer. Yum.

Trichloramine is the reason your eyes burn when you jump into a pool. It has been linked to asthma in those who spend a lot of time in pools. Sorry, Michael Phelps.

Goggles seem like an excellent idea now, don't they?

How can you avoid this? Don't become a part of the problem and just use the restroom like you're supposed to.

Also, rinse off before and after you get in the pool to try out your own Olympic skills, since you're basically swimming in dirt and pee.