Scientists Find Out How Much Pee Is Really In The Swimming Pool

A whiz of a study has determined just how much urine may be in the average public pool. And urine for a shock: It’s more than anyone wants. The news leak ― actually, the news about leaks ― comes from a team of researchers in Canada who were looking for a way to detect urine in a swimming pool. Turns out, the solution was pretty sweet: an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium (ACE), found in a wide variety of consumer products. The human body doesn’t break down acesulfame potassium, so it’s excreted in urine but remains detectable in bodies of water, even at varying pH levels and temperatures, according to Environmental Science & Technology Letters, a respected “pee-riodical.” How much urine exactly?  Researchers monitored two public pools for three weeks for ACE. One pool contained 110,000 gallons of water, while the other held 220,000 gallons. Based on the ACE measurements, researchers estimate that over the 3-week period, swimmers released 7.92 gallons of pee into the smaller pool, and nearly 20 gallons into the larger one. In addition, the team analyzed 250 samples from 31 other pools and hot tubs, and discovered ACE levels were up to 570 times greater than the amount of pee found in tap water. Urine contains nitrogenous compounds such as urea, ammonia, amino acids and creatinine, the study notes. These materials can react with disinfectants and cause eye and respiratory irritatio...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news