Why It's Dangerous To Wee In The Pool

Scientists have warned that peeing in the pool can be harmful and should be avoided if possible.

Basically disinfectants have chemical reactions with the organic materials on our body like dirt, sweat, moisturisers, and urine!

When these chemical reactions occur, something called DBPs (disinfection byproducts) are created, and this is where the problems start.

Researchers estimate that swimming pools contain an average of 30 to 80 mls of urine for each person that’s jumped in. Some of that is released accidentally or without the person realizing.

Knowing that DBPs can cause effects in cells naturally leads to concerns about the chemicals’ effects on human health. Studies about the effects of DBPs on swimmers “have been focused on highly exposed groups, such as professional swimmers and workers, or vulnerable groups, such as infants and children,” says Cristina M. Villanueva, an epidemiologist who heads the water pollution program at ISGlobal, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.

“It has been described in many studies that the prevalence of asthma is high among swimmers,” Villanueva says. But the nature of the association is harder to determine. Did those swimmers develop asthma because they swim, or do they swim because they have asthma? One of the complicating factors is that doctors recommend swimming as a sport suitable for people with asthma.

Villanueva and her colleagues have also tried to determine whether there is a connection between swimming and increased incidence of bladder cancer. Read more on the study here.

Watch below for all the icky details.

Share your comments below

16 Comments

- - mom101628 said
  - 13 Feb 2018
    11:01 pm
Had strict rules when we had our own pool – common sense really.

- - mom93821 said
  - 10 Feb 2018
    7:28 am
Maybe a video to show more widely?

- - june11 said
  - 09 Feb 2018
    9:27 pm
I know a child who always got ear infections after swimming in a pool for lessons arranged by the school. It happened so frequently that his parents wrote to the school and withdrew him from swimming.

- - tessie said
  - 09 Feb 2018
    10:10 am
I don’t like the thought of swimming in someone’s pee. Another reason why I don’t use the local swimming pool.

- - rovermum said
  - 08 Feb 2018
    9:38 am
So, we would absolutely prefer that nobody wees in the pool but I’m absolutely sure it happens. Creeps me out a lot, blahhh. Yuk. With young children, whilst always encouraged, I do understand there can be some accidents. With adults, there really is no excuse.

- - Ellen said
  - 07 Feb 2018
    7:47 am
I sure believe so ! I always encourage my kids to use the toilet before they jump in, whether they need to go or not.

- - mom93821 said
  - 07 Feb 2018
    6:43 am
We exit the pool to go to the toilet as the pool should not be one big toilet! Mishaps can occur with little ones. A study possibly worth looking at – many children we know do swim because of asthma – ours included.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 06 Feb 2018
    1:33 pm
Okay, it’s all well and good saying this but how can it be avoided with kids in the water? I know my two year old would probably be peeing the whole time he’s in there!

- - ella12 said
  - 05 Feb 2018
    3:43 pm
It sure is a bit of a worry.

- - mom19782016 said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    7:57 pm
The main reason I don’t like going to the local pool!

- - BellaB said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    7:35 pm
Plus it is just gross.

- - mom173032 said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    1:24 pm
You can control yourself but you can’t control others in public swimming areas. Chances are you’re going to be swimming with someone else’s pee at some stage

- - mom90758 said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    12:18 pm
I’ve never heard about an association with asthma before. I’d love to see more studies about it.
I don’t like swimming pools. Much prefer the open sea.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    8:54 am
I think we all know we shouldn’t pee in the pool but little babies and very small children don’t understand that.

- - nadine_hill said
  - 04 Feb 2018
    8:00 am
Just the idea of swimming in a pool knowing someone has peed in it is enough to put me off – let alone knowing these dangers of it!

- - mom196906 said
  - 03 Feb 2018
    8:51 pm
Bladder cancer? Really? I swear we can’t even breathe without causing cancer. I feel like we should all just stop doing everything. Either that or just live our lives doing what we love and not worry.