Urine in Pool Water Can Cause Respiratory Problems, Especially In Kids

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– It is summertime and when it is “Famously Hot” and humid nothing sounds better than a pool. But do you know what is in the pool water? A professor at USC has done research on pool water and how it can affect people’s health.

Red itchy eyes, exes phlegm in the throat, coughing, even asthma– these are possible symptoms of inhaling Trichloramine, which is created when chlorine from a pool comes in contact with urine. USC Professor of Chemistry Susan Richardson said that trichloramine is a chemical by-product that is formed in pool water but immediately is released into the air, which can cause respiratory issues.

“That classic pool smell is actually not chlorine in a chlorinated indoor pool. That’s that trichloramine that you’re smelling, that’s the classic pool smell. So when you walk into an indoor pool and you smell that you’re smelling the reaction of urine with chlorine, trichloramine,” Richardson said.

Richardson said it is not the chlorine itself that is harmful, it is the mixture of urine and chlorine. A study in Belgium suggested children who swam a lot in indoor pools were more likely to get asthma because of Trichloramine.

“On average, about 70 milliliters for each person who swims in a public pool, that’s about how much on average each person contributes. That’s a lot of urine that goes in there that we don’t think about it,” Richardson said. 

Richardson said the urine can find its way into a pool in many different ways, including if you are sweating in a pool. That is why she recommends showering off before jumping in.

“Urine comes from sweat too. And if you’re laying out in the sun sweating like crazy you’re going to being that urine from your sweat in there, your sunscreen ingredients, your lotions, perfumes… it’s better to shower all that stuff off before you get in the pool because all of those chemicals can react to from other disinfectant byproducts in the pool,” Richardson said.

Richardson also said it is important to shower off after the fun in the pool. Her research shows that indoor pools don’t have as good of ventilation as outdoor pools, so it retains the chemical more… so she recommends outdoor pools, which isn’t hard to do when it’s so hot outside.