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

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

#61

Post by dangerbird2 »

hackandtrip wrote: post #47
Tade0 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Luckily, it's much better in the USA, even though many regulations vary across state and county lines. Where I worked, we needed an in-pool refresher course and test every year, with a pool management course (chemicals, filter, etc) every 2 or 3 years. After getting you American Red Cross CPR certification, you needed to take a short refresher course every year for the next 2 years, after which you'd need to retake the course.

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

#62

Post by dangerbird2 »

Faaak wrote: post #28
LoSboccacc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

At that point, you'd need to treat it with chlorine, and it wouldn't be much better than the pool itself. Probably better to just use good greywater recycling techniques for shower waste.

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

#63

Post by Bromskloss »

hackandtrip wrote: post #9
sschueller wrote: post #2

That 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.

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.

Could you explain the thing about the temperature difference? What's that about?

Also, where do you have lifeguards? Indoors, outdoors? I don't remember seeing any at all here in Sweden.

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

#64

Post by wongarsu »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #26
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #24

Earlier 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.

You can likely set it up to recirculate 99% of the water directly, and sending the other 1% off for treatment. With water circulating that quickly removing a small fraction each circulation should still keep it very clean.

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

#65

Post by Scea91 »

herbst wrote: post #36
Scea91 wrote: post #35

Swimming pool I occasionally visit in Prague uses less chlorine and has installed UV lamps in the pipes. The water quality is great. I hope this gets more widespread.

I am there in a few days. May I ask which one?

https://www.hotelolsanka.cz/en/sports/swimming-pool/

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

#66

Post by frockington »

Reason077 wrote: post #42
nickjj wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

I normally get that feeling when exercising on open trails as well or even indoors. It's part of exercising intensely

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

#68

Post by Reason077 »

frockington wrote: post #66
Reason077 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I normally get that feeling when exercising on open trails as well or even indoors. It's part of exercising intensely

Perhaps, but it feels much worse in a polluted environment, and takes much longer to go away (lungs still sore/“tight” hours later).

I do think it’s strange when I see people jogging along polluted arterial roads for this reason. Especially when there are often traffic-free trails or quiet back roads available nearby!

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

#70

Post by zolthrowaway »

Spooky23 wrote: post #54
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…

> The people using these pools are generally a lot more conscientious about showering before entering the pool. But you’re now going to face swimmer drama. Violation of some unknown, unspoken rule will result in dirty looks and jerky behavior. I’d rather swim in pee than deal with unfamiliar serious swimmers!

Since you generalized a large group of people, I'm also going to generalize them, too. Most swimmers are very reasonable people just trying to work out. If you ask questions while they're between sets or after their workout, I'm sure they will be willing to talk to you. There are only like 4 rules when swimming.

1) Stay to the right side of the lane. 2) If you're on the wall, stay in the corner of the lane (so people can turn). 3) If someone touches your foot, stop for a second and let them pass. 4) If multiple lanes are open, try to stay with people of similar speed.

If they're getting mad at you for anything else, those people are being jerks. Rule 1,2, and 4 are all things you would do while running or cycling. They are follow the flow and try not to be in the way. They are common courtesy everywhere, not just a pool. Rule 3 is the only one that may not be intuitive, but you'll be kicking someone in the fingertips and face for at least a whole lap if you don't let them pass. Plus, it can ruin a set if they're trying to hit a certain pace. I'm not saying anyone should ever be a jerk to you, but it's similar to when people walk 4 wide down the sidewalk.

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