Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This episode was proudly made possible by Subaru.
Guys. I like to swim. In pools, occasionally. So...can we all just agree to stop peeing
in them?
Hey everyone, Laci Green here for DNews. Admit it, you've done it before: most everyone who's
been in the pool has peed in a pool at some point. Hell, you may have even been encouraged
to pee in a pool, as my friend and coworker Jared informed me used to happen on his swim
team.
Like....what?! COACH THAT'S GROSS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. But truth be told I think
we've all peed in a pool at one point because, let's face it, we're all lazy. It's also true
that the chlorine kills the bacteria. But that's not all that happens when you pee in
the pool. According to a new study coming out of Purdue, when uric acid from pee combines
with chlorine it creates a gas called cyanogen chloride. Pee is responsible for somewhere
between 24%-68% of this gas floating around in pools - public and private. Cyanogen chloride
production matters because it can cause anything from irritation to serious problems with the
central nervous system, lungs, and heart when inhaled. The gas has already been linked to
these health issues in heavy swimmers.
There's another gaseous byproduct of peeing in the pool as well -- nitrogen trichloramine,
which can cause injury to the lungs. The same university also found that this gas builds
up super quickly, quadrupling over the course of 3-4 day swimming competitions. To remedy
this problem, scientists could add more chlorine to the pool so YAYYYYY your eyes and lungs
sting even more. Or, you know, people could stop peeing in pools. It's so funny the scientists
are like "Look we really don't know what to say. This is just....it's gotta stop. Kthxbye."
Is it gonna kill you? Probably not. Could it make you sick? Yes. Will it make you sick?
Most likely not. Is it disgusting? Yes.
And, a special parting note for all my germaphobes out there: not too long ago the CDC did a
similar study on a couple hundred private AND public pools and found that over half
of them contain fecal particles as well. They think this is related to the fact that about
half of people don't shower off before getting in the pool. Another 11% admitted to swimming
with a runny nose and 6% swam with a cold. Fortunately, less than 1% admitted to swimming
with diarrhea.
Sooooo....drink up, folks! Or you could be like me and never swim in a pool again. It's
ruined. I just can't. Thanks science.
And thank YOU for joining me for DNews everyone. And thank you to SUBARU for making this episode
possible. SO MANY THANK YOUS. Check out our friend Patrick Norton as he teams up to customize
three high mileage Subaru vehicles for charity. They turned one into an office, another into
a mobile camping station (with a stove and water pump and all!) and on the third they
added a custom bike rack for wheelchair adaptive bikes! All for charity folks. You can watch
at revision3.com/subaru. We'll see you next time!