Does urine contain more biological contaminants than other bodily fluids, such as blood, spit, pus, etc.?
Actually, I believe that urine is inherently sterile, provided the source person is healthy.
Normal urine is sterile, and blood should be as well, or you’re in a mess of trouble.
Spit is contaminated with the normal bacterial flora in your mouth, and pus is basically just a mess of bacteria and white cells, and is most definitely “septic”.
Unless an abnormal condition is present, urine is pretty sterile.
The process of passing it out of the body will cause it to pick up some bacteria, so don’t let it just set there.
But urine is one of the cleanest bodily fluids we have! It’s an ultrafiltrate of blood, and blood is inherently clean unless there’s big trouble.
QtM, MD
On the contrary, it’s usually sterile. Uremic acid makes it so.
Back before bactine, peeing on your hands was the done thing for keeping blisters free of infection. Nice, but it works.
previews tries to think of Marianas trench or Death Ray joke. gives up and submits
Ah, it’s 1940’s style “Bactine”.
The blood wasn’t sterile only once. In 1960. For 20 minutes…
As long as the bacteria concentrations are under 13,383,816, it can be considered sterile…
I give up too. 
What is uremic acid?
Regardless, I think urine’s (usually) sterile since it represents a so-called ultrafiltrate of blood plasma which is, itself, almost always sterile (as mentioned by Qad - who else? 
).
Of course, many normal women do have bacteria in their urine. That probably reflects the movement of bacteria into the bladder (and possibly beyond) due to the short urethra of women. Other relatively common causes of bacteria in the urine (other than outright infection) are the presence of a catheter (tube) inserted into the bladder (via the urethra :eek: ), and ‘stasis’ of the urine in the bladder (as might occur in someone who’s unable to empty their bladder completely, if at all).
A malapropism for “uric acid.” :smack:
Of course Qadgop is correct (duh) and the sterility of urine is a trick the body does through filtration. Turns out that uric acid is only mildly acidic and not antiseptic in the concentrations that it’s found in healthy people.
And another thing goes on my list of “things my daddy told me that turned out to be horse-pucky.” At least that stuff he told me in the same conversation about why Listerine is so-called turned out to be reliable.
Bit of a tangent, but in China there is a school of thought which holds that drinking a cup of your own urine every day is good for your health.
…And I mean heck, a million Chinese people can’t all be wrong? Nor monkeys
Right. Urine is actually quite a happy place for bacteria to grow. As has been said ad nauseum, urine in the bladder is sterile, barring a bladder infection, of course. However, the inner surface of the urethra is usually colonized by bacteria, especially out towards the tip, so urine leaving the body is not technically sterile. When doctors want a sterile urine sample, they instruct the patient to collect it mid-flow, so most of the bacteria has been flushed out. If they need it REALLY sterile, they’ll use a big ol’ needle and stick it into the bladder.
It’s really astonishing how often this question comes up on the boards.
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
You mean I don’t have to wash my hands any more before leaving the men’s room?
Really, I’m shocked and disillusioned at such irresponsible posting, especially in GQ.
That is an ape drinking its own urine. 
That would be if you’re a cat or dog… Humans get a sterile tube called a catheter, placed under sterile conditions.
The only time one would do a bladder tap, would be in the case of trauma where a catheter wouldn’t work, as with a ruptured bladder or uretheral tear. Those happen when a seatbelt impacts a drunk driver.
Occasionally, a bladder tap is done if acute renal failure is suspected.
Sure they could. I can’t help thinking that if it was such a good thing to drink it…
- we’d have evolved an aesthetic taste for it
- our bodies probably wouldn’t be expelling it anyway
- perhaps the output wouldn’t be so far away from the mouth
Dunno, a few million people and an ape drinking urine regularly without dying is a fairly good indication that it isn’t too toxic a substance–so though humorous, it is another cite for the OP.
Of course, Mangetout’s list strikes down the theory of health-benefits fairly quickly (though I have to wonder how he knows for item #1 that #1 really isn’t tasty…?)
Well… some tastes are acquired (for those able to acquire them) - Marmite and Guinness spring to mind - except that these are products that wouldn’t exist in nature - sugar, fat, protein, fruit acids (including vitamins) etc are all inherently appealing to us because (before the advent of industrial farming and supermarkets) they were absolutely essential to our health and wellbeing - we crave them because they are good for us.
We don’t typically crave urine; it may not be immediately or severely harmful to us (although you’re working your kidneys harder and generally poisoning your system if you drink it), but the fact that most people don’t have an innate craving for it is a fair indication that drinking it is not generally or significantly beneficial.
I remember having a brief flirtation with drugs testing (as a broke student volunteering) and the instructions for giving a urine sample included mention of pulling back your foreskin to ensure as uncontaminated a sample as possible.
I’m going to leave this thread now before I feel ill :o
And yes, I have actually tested whether I have an innate craving for urine; I think I was about 9 years old and curious about a great many things. I don’t expect this is too uncommon, although for most people, the smell is enough to discourage them.