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Not that any of you ever actually go outside, but I thought this was an interesting science point to make, and keeps us on the water theme from the previous news nugget. It seems that getting into a hotel pool is the best way to get sick. But that was not really what caught my eye about this story. We have all gotten out of a pool at some point and had extremely bloodshot eyes. I think we all assume that there was always just a bit too much chlorine used by the poolboy. The Center for Disease Control lets us know that is not actually the problem. It seems that all the urine mixing with the chlorine is the issue. Don't worry however, it is still probably much cleaner than your keyboard. Yeah, you should probably clean that...now.
When we go swimming and our eyes turn red, it’s because swimmers have peed in the water.
“The nitrogen in the urine combines with the chlorine and it forms what’s known as chloramine and it’s actually chloramine that causes the red eyes," Michele Hlavsa, chief of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s healthy swimming program told TODAY in 2015 interview. "It’s chlorine mixed with poop and sweat and a lot of other things we bring into the water with us.”
There's at least one way to check if the pool you're about to swim in is clean or not. The stronger the chlorine smell at a pool, the more filled with pee it is. Healthy pools don’t smell like chemicals, Hlavsa said.
When we go swimming and our eyes turn red, it’s because swimmers have peed in the water.
“The nitrogen in the urine combines with the chlorine and it forms what’s known as chloramine and it’s actually chloramine that causes the red eyes," Michele Hlavsa, chief of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s healthy swimming program told TODAY in 2015 interview. "It’s chlorine mixed with poop and sweat and a lot of other things we bring into the water with us.”
There's at least one way to check if the pool you're about to swim in is clean or not. The stronger the chlorine smell at a pool, the more filled with pee it is. Healthy pools don’t smell like chemicals, Hlavsa said.