# Do You Pee In The Pool? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631 "2002-07-18T15:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/21 "2002-07-19T11:18:11Z")
Hmm. In retrospect that post perhaps should have gone in a pit thread (I still haven’t quite got what level of hostility is appropriate in each forum). If it wasn’t appropriate here, I apologise, and any Mods feel free to delete it. The point still stands though. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/22 "2002-07-19T13:43:19Z")
Your point is well made Kitarak. I avoid this trouble by never getting in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/23 "2002-07-19T16:18:56Z")
Recent conversation at the ocean: Mrs. KVS: I’m taking the girls have to go to the bathroom. Me: Why? Do they have to pee? Mrs. KVS: Yes. Me: Um . . . there’s a whole big ocean right there. [keep in mind the bathroom was two blocks down the boardwalk] Mrs. KVS: Why would they pee in the ocean? Me: Well, it’s good enough for the fish . . . ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/24 "2002-07-19T17:08:39Z")
**kitarak** - “_There are actually other pople using the pool, and I don’t think they much appreciate your peeing in the pool._” They probably wouldn’t if they knew about it, but I don’t tell anyone, so they don’t know. And in this case, what you don’t know can’t hurt you- urine is STERILE. And by your same ‘dilution’ argument, a person couldn’t pass gas in the Empire State Building, because anything that increases the concentration of unpleasant substances is bad, no matter how little it actually contributes. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/25 "2002-07-19T17:14:49Z")
I will admit to peeing in lakes, but I wonder, in retrospect, if that’s really such a good idea. After all, many lakes around here are a significant part of their cities’ water supplies. I could very well have peed in a lake and then drank it later. Thank goodness for chlorination, that’s all I have to say! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/26 "2002-07-19T17:29:55Z")
To start: I do not pee in pools. But for those of you who pee freely in the ocean, take this to heart. According to some researchers sharks can detect and attracted to the smell of urine in the water, just as with blood and sewage. Here’s a site on [how to avoid a shark attack](http://gorp.com/gorp/publishers/lyonspress/shark_attacks4.htm), and another interview on the topic of urine attracting sharks [here](http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/1597/shark.html): > [@](#): > > According to an item in Carve Magazine, Spring '98, pissing your wetsuit could be dodgy in the wrong locations. It reads as > follows: > > Pissing your wetsuit can have fatal consequences if you surf in sharky waters, according to an Australian marine biologist. David > Baxter from Sydney, who has studied sharks for 15 years, claims that most attacks occured shortly after the victims had > urinated in the water. > “Surfers and swimmers think their urine will be swept away fairly quickly, but it stays it the wetsuit and creates a powerful > smell for sharks. Sharks have well-developed olfactory glands intheir noses and are attracted to the smell of body fluids such as > blood and urine.” ---
**Author:** ![ravesaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ravesaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ravesaint)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/27 "2002-07-19T18:18:40Z")
That settles it, I’m stocking my pool with sharks.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/28 "2002-07-19T20:48:08Z")
_Looks for the related thread called “Do you shit in the pool?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/29 "2002-07-19T20:58:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FNRFR \* > \*\*_Looks for the related thread called “Do you shit in the pool?”_ \*\* Best line of the day award!! Bravo!! 😃 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/30 "2002-07-19T22:03:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FNRFR \* > **…Do you shit in the pool?..** I think it would depend whether I was expecting a floater or a sinker. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/31 "2002-07-19T22:10:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > [And in this case, what you don’t know can’t hurt you- urine is STERILE. > \*\* So why don’t you take a bath in it? ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/32 "2003-06-16T15:08:03Z")
I ran across an article yesterday that shows that there is actually a _valid_ reason not to pee in the pool (unlike the ‘reasons’ listed above)- > **[WebMD - Better information. Better health.](https://www.webmd.com)** > > The leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information. Providing credible health information, supportive community, and educational services by blending award-winning expertise in content, community services, expert... "\*Last year, British researchers published a study finding an increase in asthma risk among lifeguards working at indoor pools. The researchers identified the chemical trichloramine as the potential cause of this occupational risk. Trichloramine is produced when chlorine reacts with polluting proteins from swimmers’ bodies, such as sweat and **urine**.\*” I guess I’m going to have to start using the restroom now. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/33 "2003-06-16T15:21:03Z")
**Surreal** You just go right ahead and pee in _your_ pool if you want to. Never mind what all these people say. Hell, I’ll even come over and pee in _your_ pool. [sub]From the edge.[/sub] Don’t even think of coming within a urine-stream of _my_ pool. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/34 "2003-06-16T15:23:43Z")
I do, occasionally. But if I had my own pool I probably wouldn’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/35 "2003-06-16T15:28:46Z")
The solution to pollution is dilution. I’m a pee’r. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/36 "2003-06-16T15:48:50Z")
Hint to female pool-goers … take a tip from lifeguards. You can quickly accomplish your peeing mission without removing the entire wet, clammy suit. Just hover, and pull your suit to the side. Fast and easy. You’ll never be tempted to pollute the waters again. ~Ellen, who never pees in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/37 "2003-06-16T16:08:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*The solution to pollution is dilution. > > I’m a pee’r. \*\* I look at it this way: It’s all a matter of degree… a few drops of tinkle in 18,000 gallons of chlorine-laced water? Big deal. There’s five kids in my pool today, and I’m sure there have been zero bathroom trips since they went in (would have to call the wife to find out). Do I worry? Nope. I figure that if anyone wants to get grossed out about pool contaminants, they should be more concerned with the [three dead chipmunks and one plump dead rabbit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=188659) I fished out a couple of weeks ago. And does anyone consider that the pool water itself knows no boundaries? The water that is wetting your face could have been in close proximity to someone’s buttcrack moments before. I try not to think about this kind of thing too much (yuk). ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/38 "2003-06-16T16:37:04Z")
This is disgusting, I had no idea adults peed in pools. You don’t pee on the sidewalk in public do you? Do you walk through the mall and just pee when the urge hits you? Yeck. ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/39 "2003-06-16T17:35:54Z")
I would have to agree with **Surreal** and dont really mind the pool (or think about it) if someone goes in it. Urine is sterile. The reason you dont bathe in it is that it has ammonia and can be harsh on the skin (but so is chlorine). Its very good for athletes foot tho. It kills the fungus effectively. Anyone who has seen that great episode of friends knows its good for jelly fish stings as well. Anyone willing to go into a pool full of kids should understand the what they are getting into. Anyone who goes into the ocean and lake have an equal hazard (if not more). I dont mind the thought of pee in the ppool so long as its clear, clean and chlorinated. Just be sure to take a good shower afterwards or at the very least a long rinse. Now… **minor7flat5** ’s comment about the close proximity to someones buttcrack. _THAT_ bothered me! :eek: oh BTW being an adult, i try not to pee in private pools or small community ones. But if its a big public pool or a water park with dozens of kids, my 3 fluid ounces is not gonna register in any meter. I may go out of sheer laziness to find a public bathroom facility which btw may be teeming with fungus and other bacteria that bare footed people inadvertantly take back into the pool. I try not to open my mouth underwater either. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631/40 "2003-06-16T18:04:37Z")
Wow. This is disgusting. I suppose it’s just my programmed mores and stuff talking, but sheesh. I had no idea that adults peed in the pool willingly. I haven’t peed in the pool at all that I can remember, though I’m sure I must have done it a few times as a really little kid. I have peed in the ocean, but since the other option was peeing on the boat, I took it to be the lesser of two evils. It’s not so much the overall contamination that bothers me; it’s the fact that urine takes a little bit to fully dilute. I mean, if you pee in the poll, it doesn’t instantaneously disperse over the entire pool; it’s concentrated. Basically, it is, at least for a little bit, a concentrated area of urine. I don’t really find that idea very comforting, no matter how “sterile” urine is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pee-in-the-pool/119631.md?page=3)