I helped maintain a large public pool a few years back, and I saw first hand how disgusting they could be. I now swim almost exclusively in creeks and rivers.
And hope there isn't a school trip up stream...
Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
21–30 of 96 posts
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#22I hadn’t been to a public pool in years (we have our own) until the other week and had forgotten what it smelled/tasted like.
The smell/taste of public pool water is definitely mostly urine, chlorine does not smell like that.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Slightly off topic, but you should shower to avoid temperature difference too, specially in hot days. I don't know about the lifeguard situation in USA, in Italy it's pretty terrible; it should be absolutely required to have a shower before jumping in the water.
Why are sudden temperature changes bad? When I was a kid in the north of Scotland we'd always jump in as gradual exposure to cold water was miserable - the shock of jumping in was always quite bracing ;-) Mind you - as I doubt if it was much above 20C most of the time I doubt the temperature difference between air and water was that large!
I think the idea is that a sudden immersion in cold water when the weather is hot can cause a sudden contraction of your blood vessels which can result in a syncope. At least that's what I've always been told, but I know there's a lot of cargo culting and urban myths surrounding these topics so it's hard to know what's really dangerous and what's just superstition. For instance as a kid I've always been told that it was risky to swim just after eating a meal (because of the bloodflow required for digestion or something like that) but as far as I know it's been debunked and doesn't make biological sense.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#24That is why you should shower before going in to the pool. At school we were always required to shower before and after. One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water.
> One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water.
That's clever, they should install that in more places.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Slightly off topic, but you should shower to avoid temperature difference too, specially in hot days. I don't know about the lifeguard situation in USA, in Italy it's pretty terrible; it should be absolutely required to have a shower before jumping in the water.
Why are sudden temperature changes bad? When I was a kid in the north of Scotland we'd always jump in as gradual exposure to cold water was miserable - the shock of jumping in was always quite bracing ;-) Mind you - as I doubt if it was much above 20C most of the time I doubt the temperature difference between air and water was that large!
The cardiovascular system has to suddenly adjust its rate to keep the body warm enough. If your heart is weak, it may not be up to the task and a heart attack is possible.
It might be fine for young people and people with people with peak cardiovascular health, but for older people or anyone with impaired cardiovascular health, the risk goes up.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#26That is why you should shower before going in to the pool. At school we were always required to shower before and after. One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water.
> One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water. That's clever, they should install that in more places.
dunno. seems a lot of wasted water, you can't recirculate it or you'd be back to square one.
maybe if it's activated with a pressure plate of sort it'd be more environmentally friendly.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
> One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water. That's clever, they should install that in more places.
dunno. seems a lot of wasted water, you can't recirculate it or you'd be back to square one. maybe if it's activated with a pressure plate of sort it'd be more environmentally friendly.
Or a motion sensor perhaps?
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
> One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water. That's clever, they should install that in more places.
dunno. seems a lot of wasted water, you can't recirculate it or you'd be back to square one. maybe if it's activated with a pressure plate of sort it'd be more environmentally friendly.
Maybe the water is changed every day. It would still be useful as the large (lets say 2m³) volume of water would slowly begin charging up with contaminants
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#29The headline is a bit clickbaity. The third paragraph starts with "In fact, chlorine is still a culprit." A more accurate title could be "Urine and Chlorine Cause Red Eyes in Pools."
I think it's more accurate as it is. Your alternative suggests to me that both contribute independently i.e. chlorine alone will burn eyes, where the article suggests that isn't true. Since chlorine in pools is ubiquitous, the urine's the central issue. C.f. hydrogen tanks being labelled "fire hazard", not "fire hazard in an oxygen environment".
Maybe, but it's not only urine that causes red eyes. When chlorine binds with any organic matter it can create compounds that sting your eyes. Sweat isn't as eye-catching as urine.
Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
> One pool I have been at added a shower you have to go through to get to the pool. It's a continues curtain of water. That's clever, they should install that in more places.
dunno. seems a lot of wasted water, you can't recirculate it or you'd be back to square one. maybe if it's activated with a pressure plate of sort it'd be more environmentally friendly.
Why do you think it is being wasted?
It isn't being contaminated, and will eventually wind up back in the water supply.