Does pool water turn blue when you pee in it?

Is There Truth to the Rumor? No. There is no chemical which changes color when someone urinates in a swimming pool. There are dyes which could cloud, change color, or produce a color in response to urine, but these chemicals would also be activated by other compounds, producing embarrassing false-positives.

What happens if you pee in a swimming pool?

Cyanogen chloride forms when chlorine from the pool reacts with nitrogen in urine. It acts like tear gas, roughing up the eyes, nose and lungs, and it's classified as an agent of chemical warfare.

Can you tell if someone peed in the pool?

There is currently no such urine indicator dye that exists. "Chlorine and other disinfectants are added to a swimming pool to destroy germs. Peeing in a pool depletes chlorine and actually produces an irritant that makes people's eyes turn red," said Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC's Healthy Swimming Program.

How do you detect urine in a pool?

What turns the pool water blue?

Water Turns Light Blue

“You notice the blue effect when you have a large volume of water because of the way molecules are slightly absorbing light from the red end of the spectrum,” Coxon says. The deeper the water, the more blue it appears. He also points out that the same thing happens under artificial light.

Don't pee in a POOL! Does pee turn blue in a pool? #mythsdebunk

Why is my pool water blue and not clear?

Pool water with a high total alkalinity (TA) is often associated with cloudiness. This is because it can cause an imbalance in the pH levels and lead to calcium scaling. Typically if your TA is higher than 200 ppm, you're at risk of a cloudy pool and just like imbalanced pH levels, your chlorine will be less effective.

How long does it take for a pool to turn blue?

You need to raise the level of your chlorine – shock the pool – and maintain that high level until all the algae is dead. This may take 3 to 4 days.

Do pools change color if you pee?

It's the most common pool myth of all time: If you pee in the pool the water will change color and everyone will know. Parents have long used the story of a chemical that changes color in the presence of pee to keep their children from peeing in the pool. The fact is there is no such dye that currently exists.

Does pee turn a pool green?

Water quality is a health concern in all public pools, and although it won't turn the water green, urine can pose hazards to swimmers' health. Unfortunately, it's difficult to detect in the chlorinated water of a huge pool.

Do adults pee in the pool?

A team of researchers in Canada seemed to confirm the notion that “everybody” pees in the pool. LOS ANGELES - As summer approaches, it's time to remind everyone about the gross fact that, yes — people are peeing in the pool. About one in five American adults admitted in a survey to having peed in the pool.

What happens if you pee in chlorine?

Chlorine reacts with urine to form a host of potentially toxic compounds called disinfection byproducts. These can include anything from the chloramines that give well-used pools the aforementioned odor, to cyanogen chloride, which is classified as a chemical warfare agent.

What percentage of pool water is urine?

In a pool with 110,000 gallons of water, the researchers found that over the three-week period, swimmers released 7.92 gallons of urine. Technically that's only . 000079 percent of the liquid in the pool, if that makes you feel better.

Why do swimmers pee in the pool?

Since swimmers sweat so much during practice, sweat cannot be a discounted factor. Urine has a much higher concentration of urea than sweat does, but generally a swimming pool will have more sweat in it than urine after a swim practice.

Why should you not pee in the pool?

Not only is it disgusting, but urine in pool water also fosters the formation of harmful chemicals. As soon as body oils meet sweat, chlorine, and urine, DBP's (disinfection byproducts) start to arise. Organic matter from our bodies mixing with chlorine allows these DBP's to form and harm our health.

What happens when urine is mixed with water?

Diluted urine occurs when there's too much water in the urine. It means the urine's concentration is weak. As a result, the tester will be unable to properly detect the presence of drugs in the urine. If you're an employer who requires drug tests, you might wonder what causes diluted urine.

Does peeing in pool cause algae?

This is a common misconception, and many believe it's okay to pee in the pool. But when you think for a moment, it doesn't even make sense. Yes, chlorine and other pool chemicals will act as disinfectants and kill certain bacteria and algae. But urine isn't a living substance.

Is it OK to pee in a saltwater pool?

A short video produced recently by the American Chemical Society answers the question, “Is it OK to Pee in the Ocean?” with a resounding “yes!” Ocean swimmers, relax, and know that your, eh, “contribution” is processed by the marine environment. Pool swimmers, you are not off the hook.

Is there a chemical that can turn urine blue?

"Methylene blue is often sold at pet stores, as it is a treatment for tropical fish diseases. Now, the interesting thing about methylene blue is that, if ingested, it can temporarily change a person's urine colour. The effects range from a faint green tint to a bright blue stream.

How can I make my pee blue?

You can temporarily tint urine this color if you ingest foods that produce red urine and those that turn it blue. For example, you could combine beets with methylene blue. Blue – Methylene blue is a dye that will turn your urine blue or greenish-blue. It can also color the whites of your eyes blue.

What happens if you pee in hot tub?

Urine contains a nitrogen compound called urea. When urea is combined with chlorine, it breaks it down into a by-product called chloramine. Chloramine is harmful if it contacts the skin, via the hot tub water, or if it is inhaled, via the steam from the hot tub.

Can I swim 12 hours after shocking pool?

After Shocking Your Pool

It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours. It is always best to test first!

How long do you wait to swim after adding chlorine?

Liquid chlorine — In general, it's a good idea to wait at least four hours after putting liquid chlorine in the pool. The size of your pool and the amount of chlorine added does play a factor in this, too. Once your levels reach 5 ppm or lower, you're ready to swim.

Can you Overshock a pool?

A common question among pool owners is, “Can I over shock the pool?” The short answer is no. You can add more shock than needed, which is a waste of money and materials. You can also get green hair from a reaction to high levels of chlorine. In general, however, over-shocking is harmless.

What color should my pool water be?

There are two primary water colors for your swimming pool, blue and green, and the shades of blue or green are determined by numerous factors. The main determiner for water color is the background dye in the finish. If you want green water, the finish should be green, brown or tan.

Will baking soda clear a green pool?

Will baking soda clear a green pool? No. Baking soda will only raise your alkalinity and pH levels and this will not kill algae. Chlorine is what kills algae.