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Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#41

Post by V-2 »

"Luckily, there are several easy ways to prevent things from tainting your poolside experience forevermore."

Okay...

"Always shower before entering"

Right, but I'm not the one with diarrhoea. I can't get everyone else to always shower.

"stay out of the pool if you’re not feeling well"

By the time you're feeling unwell, isn't it too late already?

"test water frequently if you own your own pool"

Getting your own pool is certainly a great tip. Duly noted. For those of you afraid of pickpockets on public transport - a very easy way of dealing with it would be to get a car. For some reason it makes me think of The Onion :)

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#42

Post by Reason077 »

nickjj wrote: post #39
ganonm wrote: post #20

The chlorinates created when the chlorine reacts with e.g. sweat and urine is what causes red eyes and breathing difficulties. From my experience, stay away from hotel/health club pools. These usually have saunas and jacuzzis which means people jump into the pool afterwards and contaminate it a lot... If you are doing swimming for fitness you will be inhaling a much larger volume of air, plus you will be inhaling air…

When you say difficulty in breathing, do you mean that feeling that you sometimes get after being in a pool for a long time where if you take a deep breath, it kind of hurts your lungs?

That’s the feeling I get after walking or cycling in London traffic and getting a lung full of diesel fumes...

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#43

Post by wierd0 »

nickjj wrote: post #39
ganonm wrote: post #20

The chlorinates created when the chlorine reacts with e.g. sweat and urine is what causes red eyes and breathing difficulties. From my experience, stay away from hotel/health club pools. These usually have saunas and jacuzzis which means people jump into the pool afterwards and contaminate it a lot... If you are doing swimming for fitness you will be inhaling a much larger volume of air, plus you will be inhaling air…

When you say difficulty in breathing, do you mean that feeling that you sometimes get after being in a pool for a long time where if you take a deep breath, it kind of hurts your lungs?

Some are more sensitive to chlorine than others. I have astma and feel awful after having been in a pool.

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#44

Post by megaman22 »

fileoffset wrote: post #21
rascul wrote: post #10

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...

Or a dairy farm, or a beaver dam or...

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#45

Post by ganonm »

nickjj wrote: post #39
ganonm wrote: post #20

The chlorinates created when the chlorine reacts with e.g. sweat and urine is what causes red eyes and breathing difficulties. From my experience, stay away from hotel/health club pools. These usually have saunas and jacuzzis which means people jump into the pool afterwards and contaminate it a lot... If you are doing swimming for fitness you will be inhaling a much larger volume of air, plus you will be inhaling air…

When you say difficulty in breathing, do you mean that feeling that you sometimes get after being in a pool for a long time where if you take a deep breath, it kind of hurts your lungs?

I trained briefly in a health club/gym pool (not full length, had a sauna etc). I would usually find that after swimming in it for any length of time, inhaling fully wouldn't feel like it was providing me with the expected amount of oxygen - hard to describe accurately the feeling but it definitely wasn't just breathlessness from exerting myself. Didn't really hurt or anything. When I swam in a proper fitness pool however, there were no feelings like that.

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#46

Post by [deleted] »

stonewhite wrote: post #33

There is a very informative video[1] that also links to scientific papers about this phenomenon and concludes much less sensationally. Essentially, urine is a sterile substance containing %95 pure water and no living cells or bacteria. Other than the asthma inducing effects of chloramine, swimming at a public pool doesn't pose a massive threat to your health. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S32y9aYEzzo

[deleted]

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#47

Post by hackandtrip »

Tade0 wrote: post #38
hackandtrip wrote: post #9

Earlier 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.

I don't know about the lifeguard situation in USA, in Italy it's pretty terrible; Interesting, because my impression was that there's a decent amount of staff comparing to my country (Poland). Also it's the first place at which I've seen a line of lifeguards on rafts making sure nobody reaches the point where they can collide with motorboats.

I don't know about the Poland situation, but the main problem in Italian (I guess other lifeguard certs too) it's the lack of any required refresher course. Things are changing fast on first aid practices best practice and a lot of people are behind.

Personal example: I'm 20, I am a certified lifeguard (I did the training because I was a competitive swimmer), no experience but I could extend my certificate till I am 65 year old, in whatever physique condition with whatever knowledge of best practice. That's just plain wrong, and I know that a lot of States work in a really different way with refresher courses and such, making pools and sea a safer place.

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#48

Post by akuji1993 »

V-2 wrote: post #41

"Luckily, there are several easy ways to prevent things from tainting your poolside experience forevermore." Okay... "Always shower before entering" Right, but I'm not the one with diarrhoea. I can't get everyone else to always shower. "stay out of the pool if you’re not feeling well" By the time you're feeling unwell, isn't it too late already? "test water frequently if you own your own pool" Getting your own pool i…

Reminds me a bit of Buzzfeed articles like "10 people you thought, were still alive!" with a picture of Keanu Reeves as the article headline image and then, obviously, he's not on the list.

Why do you even bother...

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#49

Post by akuji1993 »

tzs wrote: post #32
tomhoward wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Does how you get into the cold water make a difference? Specifically, entering in a way that does not trigger the mammalian diving reflex, such as wading in up to your chest or neck, versus entering in a way that does trigger it, such as holding your breath and jumping completely in?

Yes, because then the body doesn't have to adjust to the new environment in a second but gradually adjust instead.

Re: Urine, Not Chlorine, Causes Red Eyes in Pools (2015)

#50

Post by mickronome »

tomclive wrote: post #6

The 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."

Actually, it's chloramine alone that is the culprit for both the smell and the red eyes according to the actual report. Which isn't reporting any new finding, as far as I know this has been well known since many years.

The short version is; A pool that smells strongly of 'clorine' ( chloramine(s) ) is a pool with a high load of contaminants, and whether or not the chlorine concentration is kept at levels enough to cope with the load can't afaik easily be determined, but it's reasonable to a assume a higher load implies a higher risk for insufficient levels.

Or as the report states: >What you smell are actually chemicals that form when chlorine mixes with pee, poop, sweat, and dirt from swimmers’ bodies. Yuck! >These chemicals—not chlorine—can cause your eyes to get red and sting, make your nose run, and make you cough. >Healthy pools, waterparks, hot tubs, splash pads, and spray parks don’t have a strong chemical smell.

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