What Happens When You Pee in the Pool?
April 26, 2014
Story at-a-glance
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Highly toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) form from
reactions between pool disinfectants like chlorine and
organic matter, including hair, skin, sweat, dirt and… urine
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A new study revealed urination in a chlorinated pool creates
two DBPs: cyanogen chloride (CNCl), which is classified as a
chemical warfare agent, and trichloramine (NCl3), which is
linked to lung damage
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Exposure to DBPs in swimming pools has been linked to
genotoxic (DNA damage that may lead to cancer) and
respiratory effects
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Since urinating in a pool introduces uric acid that will
lead to the formation of poisonous DBPs when it interacts
with chlorine, it should be avoided
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Showering before entering a swimming pool is also important
to help reduce the amount of organic matter introduced to
the water
By Dr. Mercola
One in five Americans admit they have peed in a pool, and among
Olympic swimmers, the practice is so widespread that a former US
National team member said nearly 100 percent of competitive swimmers
pee in the pool… regularly.1
Swimming in a urine-contaminated pool is certainly not the most
pleasant thought, but is it really so bad?
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps doesn't think so, and famously
said that "chlorine kills it [urine]," making peeing in the pool a
non-issue. But it's not the urine itself that you need to worry
about.
Urine is virtually sterile when it leaves your body, so it
doesn't pose the risk of causing illness the way fecal matter in a
pool does. In fact, urine is a valuable source of nutrients that is
now being used as an
effective and natural fertilizer.
So it's not the urine that is the problem… it's what happens when
urine mixes with pool chemicals, including chlorine, that is
catching researchers' attention.
Peeing in the Pool Creates a Chemical Warfare Agent
Highly toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) form from reactions
between pool disinfectants and organic matter, including hair, skin,
sweat, dirt and… urine. In a new study, researchers mixed uric acid
from human urine with chlorine and found it creates two DBPs:
cyanogen chloride (CNCl) and trichloramine (NCl3).2
The former, CNCI, is classified as a chemical warfare agent and
is a known toxicant to your lungs, heart, and central nervous
system. NCl3 is linked to lung damage.
As for how dangerous this is, practically speaking, the
researchers found that, in a worst-case scenario, urine in a pool
might lead to about 30 parts per billion (ppb) of cyanogen chloride,
which is well below the 70 ppb used as the maximum cyanogen
concentration allowed in drinking water, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO).3
Cyanogen chloride leads to coma, convulsions and death only at
much higher levels (about 2,500 ppb), an amount that would be
difficult, and probably impossible, to generate in a typical
swimming pool from urination alone.4
This doesn't mean that smaller doses are "safe," however, as DBPs
have been linked to serious health problems at levels found in
swimming pools.
According to the study researchers, since urinating in a pool
introduces uric acid that will lead to the formation of a poison
when it interacts with chlorine, it should be avoided:
" …uric acid chlorination may account for a large
fraction of CNCl formation in swimming pools. Moreover, given
that uric acid introduction to pools is attributable to
urination, a voluntary action for most swimmers, these findings
indicate important benefits to pool water and air chemistry that
could result from improved hygiene habits on the part of
swimmers."
Spending Just 40 Minutes in a Chlorinated Pool May Lead to DNA
Damage
If you've ever wondered if the chlorine in a swimming
pool poses a health risk, you'll find it unsettling to know that the
DBPs created by chlorine reactions are far more dangerous.
In fact, when researchers measured evidence of genotoxic (DNA damage
that may lead to cancer) and respiratory effects on swimmers who
swam in a chlorinated pool for just 40 minutes, they found:5
- Increased micronuclei in blood lymphocytes, which are
associated with cancer risk
- Urine mutagenicity, a biomarker of exposure to genotoxic
agents
- An increase in serum CC16, which suggests an increase in
lung epithelium permeability
Adding chlorine to a swimming pool results in the formation of
hundreds of DBPs because of the organic matter in the
water. The researchers found that total concentrations of four DBPs
(trihalomethanes (THMs)) were seven times higher in exhaled breath
after swimming than they were before. They noted:
"Our findings support potential genotoxic effects of
exposure to DBPs from swimming pools. The positive health
effects gained by swimming could be increased by reducing the
potential health risks of pool water."
DBPs in Swimming Pools Are Linked to Cancer
It's known that trihalomethanes (THMs), one of the most common
DBPs, are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they've been shown to
cause cancer in laboratory animals. They've also been linked to
reproductive problems in both animals and humans, such as
spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, and congenital malformations,
even at lower levels.
It's not only swimming pools that are problematic, as DBPs also
exist in chlorinated drinking water. Ingesting chlorinated water
with levels of DBPs common in many industrialized countries has been
linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.6
However, when researchers also looked at exposure to DBPs through
your skin and via inhalation (such as occurs while showering,
bathing and swimming in pools), it was found to be an even greater
risk than drinking water.7
Furthermore, people who frequent swimming pools have an increased
risk of bladder cancer compared to those who do not,8
and DBPs have even been suggested as partially responsible for the
increased risk of melanoma cancer among swimmers.9
According to one study published in the Journal of
Environmental Sciences,10
the cancer risk of DBPs (in this case THMs) from various routes in
descending order was:
- Skin exposure while swimming
- Gastrointestinal exposure from tap water intake
- Skin exposure to tap water
- Gastrointestinal exposure while swimming
The cancer risk from skin exposure while swimming comprised over
94 percent of the total cancer risk resulting from being exposed to
THMs! The authors even went so far as to conclude that swimming in a
chlorinated pool presents "an unacceptable cancer risk."
DBPs Pose Risks of Allergies, Asthma, and Other Health Problems
Most public pools are overloaded with chlorine, as the
well-intentioned people who maintain public pools overly shock them
with chlorine to make sure bacteria and other organisms get snuffed
out quickly. But even the swimming pool in your backyard could be
toxic if you treat it with chlorine – even if you know no one is
using it to pee in.
Remember, any organic matter – including hair, skin, sweat, and
dirt – can react with chlorine to create DBPs. So if you use
chlorine, it's going to be virtually impossible to avoid some
exposure. Many studies have pointed out the health risks associated
with swimming in chlorinated water, and many of these are related to
toxic DBPs:
- Swimming instructors are more than twice as likely to suffer
frequently from sinusitis or sore throat, and more than three
times as likely to have chronic colds, than pool workers with
less DBP exposure, such as catering employees or receptionists.11
- Compared to the general population, pool workers with high
levels of exposure were at a 40 percent greater risk for
tightness of the chest and were over 700 percent more likely to
suffer breathlessness while walking.12
- DBPs may cause weakening of your immune system, disruptions
to your central nervous system, damaging effects to your
cardiovascular system, unhealthy functioning of your renal
system and harmful impacts to your respiratory system.
Should You Avoid Swimming Pools?
The risk of DBP exposure from swimming pools is real, but it
doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up swimming. Swimming in
an ocean is an excellent alternative, as is swimming in a lake or
other natural body of water. You can also find a way to keep your
pool clean from bacteria, algae, and other organisms without the use
of dangerous chemicals, such as choosing a saltwater pool.
One of the best solutions is NOT to chlorinate your pool and just
use a maintenance "shock" treatment every five or six days, which
will kill the algae buildup. The shock treatment volatilizes in
about 24-48 hours and gives you a several-day window in which you
can safely use your pool. You can also reduce the amount of organic
material you bring into the pool, and thereby the amount of DBPs
created, by showering prior to entering and teaching your children
not to urinate in the water. You can also use ozone, which also
oxidatively destroys the pool pathogens and lowers the need for
chlorine.
This will be difficult if you're visiting a public swimming pool
or waterpark, however. Surveys show that 35 percent of Americans say
they do not shower prior to entering a pool. Finally, because DBPs
exist in all chlorinated water, I recommend installing water filters
that remove chlorine for both your shower/bath and your kitchen tap.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/04/26/urine-chlorinated-pool.aspx
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