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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)

#81

Post by zolthrowaway »

inanutshellus wrote: post #79
zolthrowaway wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I've never swam for exercise in lanes before, but I always assumed you'd only have one person in a lane at a time. How does it work to have two in one lane? If I'm swimming and someone wants to share my lane, do I swim out, wait for them to get to my side, then swim back when they reach my side? (And if I'm the slower person, I assume I start swimming behind them as soon as they launch off from the edge?) It'd also b…

Rule 1, stay to the right. Generally, there is a black line running down the center of the line. Stay to the right of it, it's like traffic. Swim down on the right, reach the wall, turn, turn around swim down on the right again (you're on the opposite side). You don't have to coordinate with anyone. That's why it's courteous to stay to the corner of the lane when you are stopped at a wall.

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

#82

Post by zolthrowaway »

dvdgsng wrote: post #78
zolthrowaway wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

1) 2) & 4) are sane, reasonable and common. 3) however is not common at all, in fact I've never come across this behaviour in several years of swimming in multiple places. I just don't see how this would apply if there are not enough lanes for different paces. It does not scale at all. One very fast swimmer could easily dominate a lane, everyone would have to watch out for him/her. When you have more than 4 people on…

It really depends on context. If you have a bunch of people sharing one lane at a rec center, yes, you could be a huge jerk if you constantly were forcing people to stop by touching their feet. If there is one other person in your lane and there isn't a massive skill gap, touching their feet and having them stop is perfectly reasonable.

I swam in college. I was a distance swimmer. We would have warmups during the break with people from all sorts of different teams at different skill levels doing different events. When I'm warming up for the 1650 and there are sprinters in my lane, they are going to touch my feet a lot. That is just part of it. It takes literally a second for them to pass and allows them to do what they need to do. Context is key for sure, but in general feet touching is the international sign of please let me pass in swimming.

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

#83

Post by snowwrestler »

Sean1708 wrote: post #72
ganonm wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ho…

Have you ever been tested for asthma? I used to get that feeling all the time when doing rigorous exercise, and I was always under the impression that it was related to my asthma in some way (I could well be wrong though, I can't remember where I learnt this).

Pool swimming is one of the least likely triggers for exercise-induced asthma. The air above the surface of a pool tends to be warm with very high humidity, which is the ideal air for an asthmatic.

If a person gets that feeling after any exercise, yes, it's not a bad idea to get checked for asthma. But if it only happens after swimming, I would think it much more likely that the issue is related to that pool.

Chlorine allergy is also a possibility, if the person experiences symptoms in pools that don't occur elsewhere.

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

#84

Post by adrianmonk »

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…

The report comes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), not the Centers for Convenient Pool Access!

The focus is going to be on things that someone somewhere can do which are effective at disease prevention. Someone who manages a pool (at, say, a hotel or a park) can change their policy to require showers, for example.

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

#85

Post by snowwrestler »

simias wrote: post #23
arethuza wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I find it hard to imagine how a swimming pool could be cold enough in a hot climate for this to be an issue for anyone healthy. If it's hot for more than a couple days, the pool water will start to warm up too.

I've heard of this concern more in the context of much larger bodies of water like the ocean or snow-fed mountain lakes, which can stay cold a lot longer than a pool by virtue of their size (and in the case of the latter, a continuous influx of very cold water).

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

#86

Post by seorphates »

inanutshellus wrote: post #79
zolthrowaway wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I've never swam for exercise in lanes before, but I always assumed you'd only have one person in a lane at a time. How does it work to have two in one lane? If I'm swimming and someone wants to share my lane, do I swim out, wait for them to get to my side, then swim back when they reach my side? (And if I'm the slower person, I assume I start swimming behind them as soon as they launch off from the edge?) It'd also b…

One person per lane is generally guaranteed only in competition. You can get your own lane if your pool is lightly loaded but by no means would your lane be off limits to others, normally.

It's crowded when you're finger tips to toes or you smash into the oncoming swimmer off the wall (the ones following you) which is typically the mistake of the one turning and not the oncoming swimmer but not always. You try to stick to lanes moving at your preferred pace. It's a little like driving - sometimes you get your own lane and sometimes you don't.

You haz kwestuns we haz anserz

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

#87

Post by nickjj »

snowwrestler wrote: post #83
Sean1708 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever been tested for asthma? I used to get that feeling all the time when doing rigorous exercise, and I was always under the impression that it was related to my asthma in some way (I could well be wrong though, I can't remember where I learnt this).

Pool swimming is one of the least likely triggers for exercise-induced asthma. The air above the surface of a pool tends to be warm with very high humidity, which is the ideal air for an asthmatic. If a person gets that feeling after any exercise, yes, it's not a bad idea to get checked for asthma. But if it only happens after swimming, I would think it much more likely that the issue is related to that pool. Chlorin…

I remember it happening to me in some public pools but never in the ocean.

I've also done some high intensity training outside of water without the same lung issues. I'll get out of breath after running for a while, but the pool related issue is every time I breathe in deep to expand my lungs, it would feel very strange and hurt. It would last even an hour after leaving the pool area.

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

#88

Post by Spooky23 »

inanutshellus wrote: post #79
zolthrowaway wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I've never swam for exercise in lanes before, but I always assumed you'd only have one person in a lane at a time. How does it work to have two in one lane? If I'm swimming and someone wants to share my lane, do I swim out, wait for them to get to my side, then swim back when they reach my side? (And if I'm the slower person, I assume I start swimming behind them as soon as they launch off from the edge?) It'd also b…

During peak times, my YMCA wants 5 to a lane. It’s tough because you have competition level swimmers, people who were competitive swimmers and casual swimmers. Some folks are having fun, others are pushing.

Customs vary by when and where you learn them, and it’s feels very hostile, especially for casual swimmers. (In my online experience, the closest thing is the “eternal summer” phenomena in Usenet in olden times)

In any case, worrying about the nonexistent risk of swimming in a recreational pool is counter-productive — casual swimmers will be turned off by the experienced ones.

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

#89

Post by cattlefarmer »

zolthrowaway wrote: post #82
dvdgsng wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) 2) & 4) are sane, reasonable and common. 3) however is not common at all, in fact I've never come across this behaviour in several years of swimming in multiple places. I just don't see how this would apply if there are not enough lanes for different paces. It does not scale at all. One very fast swimmer could easily dominate a lane, everyone would have to watch out for him/her. When you have more than 4 people on…

It really depends on context. If you have a bunch of people sharing one lane at a rec center, yes, you could be a huge jerk if you constantly were forcing people to stop by touching their feet. If there is one other person in your lane and there isn't a massive skill gap, touching their feet and having them stop is perfectly reasonable. I swam in college. I was a distance swimmer. We would have warmups during the bre…

How does this work?

Aren't you usually furiously kicking/flapping with your legs when swimming?

Are they actually touching the bottom of your feet, ie your soles? Do they have to time it right to not get kicked?

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

#90

Post by zolthrowaway »

cattlefarmer wrote: post #89
zolthrowaway wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really depends on context. If you have a bunch of people sharing one lane at a rec center, yes, you could be a huge jerk if you constantly were forcing people to stop by touching their feet. If there is one other person in your lane and there isn't a massive skill gap, touching their feet and having them stop is perfectly reasonable. I swam in college. I was a distance swimmer. We would have warmups during the bre…

How does this work? Aren't you usually furiously kicking/flapping with your legs when swimming? Are they actually touching the bottom of your feet, ie your soles? Do they have to time it right to not get kicked?

For freestyle (front crawl), it's more of a scissor kick. Your whole body turns with you so it's really easy to touch the sole of the foot heading toward the bottom of the pool. When someone is doing something like breaststroke, they're doing a frog kick which is generally going out and away from the body and then pulling the legs in, you just time it so you touch their feet when they pull their legs in.
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