Contents:
- Medical Video: Stop peeing in the pool. Chlorine doesn't work like you think.
- Urine mixed with chlorine produces toxic compounds
- Danger of urine in the pool
- Detect urine in the pool
Medical Video: Stop peeing in the pool. Chlorine doesn't work like you think.
What do you do when you want to urinate while swimming? Going to the toilet or just urinating in the pool? Although not necessarily confessed, many people urinate in swimming pools, especially children. In fact, urine in the pool can endanger health. Well, recently researchers have found a way to detect urine levels in swimming pools. How to? Check out the explanation below!
Urine mixed with chlorine produces toxic compounds
When you smell a special pungent smell in a swimming pool, you might immediately suspect that it smells of chlorine. Chlorine substances produced by chlorine are chemicals that are responsible for killing bacteria while maintaining pH levels of water.
In fact, chlorine alone won't make pool water sting. But when chlorine mixes with sweat, the body's natural oil, and urine (urine), a chemical reaction occurs that produces that distinctive odor.
A 2014 study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology revealed that a mixture of chlorine and urine produced a compound called cyanogen chloride. This compound is classified as toxic because it can cause damage to body organs such as the lungs, heart and central nervous system. Even this toxic compound is used as one of the biological weapons in warfare.
Levels of cyanogen chloride in pool water are not much. Observations in the laboratory showed that pool water contained 30 micrograms per liter of cyanogen chloride. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, the new cyanogen chloride will threaten human health in the levels of 70 micrograms per liter. While the amount of cyanogen chloride that can cause seizures, coma, to death is 2,500 micrograms per liter.
Danger of urine in the pool
Although the levels of cyanogen chloride compounds are only small, it does not mean that public pool water is fully safe. The dangerous combination of chlorine and urine in the pool is at risk of causing eye irritation and respiratory problems, especially in people who have asthma.
You can reduce the risk by swimming using swimming goggles. For those of you who have asthma, you should swim in a pool whose water does not smell too bad. If forced, try to take a break after a while swimming.
Detect urine in the pool
The team of experts from the American Chemical Society found a new way to detect urine levels in swimming pools. Based on research in 2017, urine content can be detected by assessing the levels of artificial sweeteners in pool water.
In the human body, artificial sweeteners are not absorbed and will come out again through urine with the same structure. Artificial sweeteners can be found in a variety of packaged foods and beverages. Meanwhile, almost everyone must have or even often consume packaged foods and drinks. So if there are many levels of artificial sweeteners detected, it means that many people urinate in the pond.
Unfortunately, indeed the technique of detecting urine in a swimming pool can only be done by bringing a sample of pond water to the laboratory. However, to avoid swimming pools that have been too contaminated with various substances, pay attention to the smell. If the smell is very strong, it means that the water has been mixed with various chemical compounds.
