The Disgusting Truth About Why Swimming Pools Make Your Eyes Red

I remember coming across a fantastic sign next to a swimming pool when I was younger. It said “We don’t swim in your toilet so please don’t pee in our pool.” While the logic may be lacking, the sentiment is certainly strong. I mean, why pee in someone’s pool, right? Well some people just can’t help themselves. But little did we know, chlorine is tackling the situation in an entirely different way to the way we thought.

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC for short) it’s actually pee which is causing your eyes to sting after you’ve been swimming. The CDC has teamed up with the Water Quality and Health Council and the National Swimming Pool Foundation. Together, these water puritans are hoping to spread (or smear?) a somewhat disgusting message.

Dr Michael Beach, who embodies bodies of water, is the Associate Director of the CDC’s Healthy Water program. He explains: “Chlorine binds with all the things it’s trying to kill from your bodies, and it forms these chemical irritants. That’s what’s stinging your eyes. It’s the chlorine binding to the urine and sweat.”

Furthermore, chlorine isn’t all that effective at killing the germs which can be spread in a swimming pool. For instance Cryptosporidium, the parasite which causes diarrhoea, can take more than ten days to be killed off, in which time God knows how many people could have used the pool.

The organisations involved are aiming to spread the word about water safety, not urinating in pools and showering before you enter a swimming pool in order to remove sweat and reduce the risk of spreading germs to others. Together, the CDC, the WQHC and the NSPF hope to make swimming pools cleaner and safer. While this certainly seems worthwhile message, it’s still a bit of an odd crusade for such a conglomerate of agencies.

It seems somewhat circular that the more chlorine is doing it’s job, the more you notice the pee in a pool. However, there are worse things you could do with piss, like mistaking it for hand wash on live TV.