Urine & Chemistry in the water Where do the red eyes in the swimming pool come from?

Red eyes in the pool are caused by a chemical reaction of chlorine with urine and sweat
Most swimming pool visitors should assume that the water in the pool is nice and clean. The red-eye you get when you're in the water for longer is due to chlorine, another myth the US Water Quality and Health Council is cleaning up now. Thus, the redness is due to a chemical reaction of chlorine with urine and sweat.

Red eyes in the swimming pool due to urine. (Image: Rob hyrons - fotolia)

Red eyes while swimming are a sign of urine and sweat in the pool
"The chlorine smell at the pool is not really chlorine," said Chris Wiant, chairman of the Water Quality and Health Council. "What you smell are chemicals that are produced when chlorine mixes with urine, sweat, and dirt from the human body." Tom Lachocki of the National Swimming Pool Foundation: "Swimmer's eyes are the color proof that someone peed in the pool."

According to the American Center for Disease Control, the substances cyanogen chloride and nitrogen trichloride are produced. Both substances should not enter the body. Cyanogen chloride was used in combination with hydrogen cyanide in the First World War even as a chemical warfare agent. Nevertheless, the experts emphasize that there is no reason to panic and that the visit to the swimming pool should not be waived. For example, nitrogen trichloride is considered to be harmless in concentrations up to 18 percent. Also, the amounts of cyanogen chloride, which are caused by the chemical reaction with urine and sweat, are minimal.

Every visitor to the swimming pool can do something for clean water and against redness. "For a healthy pool experience, take a shower before swimming to remove sweat, dirt, cosmetics, and traces of fecal matter - yes, we all have something on our body, so please shower thoroughly," advises Wiant. And breaks to visit the sanitary facilities should be self-evident for everyone. (Ag)