Is swallowing pool-pee bad for your health?
How much of someone else's pee could you be swallowing while taking a swim? And is it dangerous? This week, Risk Bites takes on the terribly important topic of peeing in swimming pools. Surprisingly, beyond the yuck factor of drinking someone else's urine, there is a more serious hazard -- production of cyanogen chloride from the reaction between uric acid and chlorine. To find out whether you should be worried about this -- watch the video! And as usual, please check out the resources below, and join the conversation in the comments. The Risk Bites Team: Andrew Maynard David Faulkner Alyssa Berry Risk Bites is supported by: University of Michigan School of Public Health. http://www.sph.umich.edu/ University of Michigan Risk Science Center. http://umriskcenter.org Backing track: Based on Blue and Green by Rimsky. http://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty_free_music/songs/blue-and-green Additional Reading Urine + chlorine may equal health risks at pools. Environmental Health News, March 6 2014. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2014/mar/pool-pee/ No, It's Not Safe to Pee in the Pool, Says Science. Time, April 1 2014. http://time.com/45424/no-its-not-safe-to-pee-in-the-pool-says-science/ (don't use) Michael Phelps admits: we do pee in the pool. The Telegraph, August 6 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/swimming/9457088/Michael-Phelps-admits-we-do-pee-in-the-pool.html?_ga=1.126985933.1909915309.1380559431 Ask Ars: How much pee in a pool would kill you? Ars Technica March 29 2014. http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/03/ask-ars-how-much-pee-in-a-pool-would-kill-you/ Volatile disinfection byproducts resulting from chlorination of uric acid: Implications for swimming pools (2014) Lian et al. Environmental Science & Technology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es405402r EPA risk assessment of Cyanogen Chloride. http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/index.cfm?fuseaction=iris.showQuickView&substance_nmbr=0024 Cyanogen Chloride: ToxNet. http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+917 CDC Emergency Response Information: Cyanogen Chloride. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750039.html Risk Bites is your guide to making sense of risk. We cover everything from understanding and balancing the risks and benefits of everyday products, to health science more broadly, to the potential impacts of emerging technologies, to making sense of risk perception. If you enjoy our videos, please subscribe, and spread the word! Click here to see more videos: https://alugha.com/RiskBites