Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#11

Post by ISL » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:27 PM UTC

jhawk28 wrote: post #3

ravenstine wrote: post #2

Why do pools still use chlorine? Is it just because it's really cheap? I've seen non-chlorine pool treatments advertised in the past but haven't been to a single pool in 20+ years that wasn't chlorinated. http://www.baquacil.com/ EDIT: Also, ewww.

Some are saline (salt) based instead of chlorine.

Salt = NaCl.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#12

Post by sizzzzlerz » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:28 PM UTC

I've always wanted a product that you could add to the swimming pool water that reacts to human urine by coloring the water immediately surrounding the pee-er. Say a neon orange or red. Over time, the colored water gets diluted and disappears. Maybe pee-shaming is what's required to stop people from doing it.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#13

Post by learc83 » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:28 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #2

Why do pools still use chlorine? Is it just because it's really cheap? I've seen non-chlorine pool treatments advertised in the past but haven't been to a single pool in 20+ years that wasn't chlorinated. http://www.baquacil.com/ EDIT: Also, ewww.

That system uses peroxide which has other trade offs compared to chlorine. There is no magic bullet.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#14

Post by sizzzzlerz » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:28 PM UTC

teekert wrote: post #9

"Approximately 58 per cent of Canadians admitted to peeing in the pool at least once in a recent survey of 9,500 people conducted by Travelocity." Never looking a Canadians the same ever again.

And Canadians are supposed to be the polite ones.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#15

Post by dleslie » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:29 PM UTC

And this is why I prefer pools that are athletic-focused, rather than pools that are entertainment-focused. They really ought to be considered as separate facilities.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#16

Post by astazangasta » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:29 PM UTC

ISL wrote: post #11

jhawk28 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some are saline (salt) based instead of chlorine.

Salt = NaCl.

Chlorine = Cl2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_bond#Covalent_bond

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#17

Post by chomp » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:29 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #2

Why do pools still use chlorine? Is it just because it's really cheap? I've seen non-chlorine pool treatments advertised in the past but haven't been to a single pool in 20+ years that wasn't chlorinated. http://www.baquacil.com/ EDIT: Also, ewww.

I don't know how much that stuff costs, but chlorine is pretty cheap and easy to deal with. A bucket will last me almost 6 months and is like a hundred bucks. I shove some tablets into my chlorinator and it just works.

It's easy to find pool companies who know how to deal with chlorine, and there's a wealth of information online on dealing with a chlorine pool. None of that exists for esoteric pool treatments.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#18

Post by teekert » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:30 PM UTC

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #14

teekert wrote: post #9

"Approximately 58 per cent of Canadians admitted to peeing in the pool at least once in a recent survey of 9,500 people conducted by Travelocity." Never looking a Canadians the same ever again.

And Canadians are supposed to be the polite ones.

OMG.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#19

Post by clarkevans » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:31 PM UTC

There exist more articulate writings on this subject. Chloramines are formed when urea (pee and sweat) meets chlorine [1,2]. It contributes to athlete asthma [3,4,5,6,7]. It is an identified occupational health issue [8]. Chloramines are a concern with aquatic facility operation [9,10]. One way to help is to use UV filtering [11,12]. I believe the solution is just better aquatic center ventilation [13] especially moving air across the water surface [14].

[1] https://nextgws.com/chloramine-simplified-chemistry-lesson/ [2] https://chlorine.americanchemistry.com/Science-Center/Chlori... [3] https://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20040611/chlorine-pools-br... [4] https://lungdiseasenews.com/2015/04/07/competitive-swimming-... [5] http://www.jiaci.org/issues/vol21issue3/12.pdf [6] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-asthma-swimmers-id... [7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4351252/ [8] https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/29/4/690 [9] https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/aquatics-professio... [10] https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/park-ridge/sports/ct-... [11] https://www.poolspanews.com/facilities/maintenance/technical... [12] http://halmapr.com/news/hanovia/2008/07/26/uv-chloramine-red... [13] http://aquaticnews.com/2018/04/17/indoor-pool-air-quality-th... [14] http://paddockevacuator.com/

Disclaimer: I've got no relation or interest in Paddock (the 1st and last 2 links), I just happen to be a swim coach.

Re: Pee, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes from Swimming Pools: CDC (2015)

#20

Post by strangemonad » Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 4:31 PM UTC

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #12

I've always wanted a product that you could add to the swimming pool water that reacts to human urine by coloring the water immediately surrounding the pee-er. Say a neon orange or red. Over time, the colored water gets diluted and disappears. Maybe pee-shaming is what's required to stop people from doing it.

The quantity of urea would be to low unfortunately for any indicator compound. https://youtu.be/S32y9aYEzzo