Swimmers could be surrounded by 50 gallons of urine, study finds

Swimmers diving into the swimming pool during the 2012 London Olympics
Swimmers diving into the swimming pool during the 2012 London Olympics Credit: PA

Swimmers in an Olympic-sized pool could be surrounded by up to 50 gallons of urine, a new study has revealed.




Many olympic swimmers admit to peeing in the pool Credit: AP Photo/Lee Jin-man


The average urine excretion per swimmer in pools is approximately 70ml.

Despite urine itself being sterile, compounds can react with disinfectants such as chlorine causing them to become volatile - after which exposure can lead to eye and respiratory irritation and has been linked to occupational asthma.

Dr Xing-Fang Li, from the University of Alberta, Canada, say this evidence has highlighted the need for improved understanding of pool chemistry to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of swimming hygiene practices.


The concentration of ACE in the pools and hot tubs ranged from 30 to 7,110 nanograms per liter of water - up to 570 times more than the levels found in the tap water samples.

Dr Xing-Fang Li said: "This is the first reported occurrence study of ACE in swimming pools and hot tubs.




