![Researchers: How Much Urine May be in Public Pools?](http://townsquare.media/site/95/files/2017/03/RS12062_4528400452.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Researchers: How Much Urine May be in Public Pools?
(KLIX) –You’re in for a big surprise with the findings of this research.
Canadian researchers recently leaked this information, saying that after monitoring two public pools for three weeks they found that one 110,000-gallon pool contained 7.92 gallons of urine and a 220,000-gallon public pool had nearly 20 gallons of urine.
How’d they detect the pee?
According to the study, by looking for traces of an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium (ACE-K), found in a variety of consumer products.
The human body doesn't break down ACE-K, but rather excretes it in urine but it remains detectable water.
The researchers also tested private pools and hot tubs and found urine levels in many of them.
"I think you can assume that if people are using your pool, they're peeing in it," Ernest Blatchley III, an environmental engineer at Purdue University, told NPR.
While the percentage of urine may be small in comparison to the many gallons of water in a given pool, any urine in pools can be a health concern.
The simplest solution: Just don't pee in the pool. And tell all your friends not to do it, either. "I view it like secondhand smoke," Blatchley says. "It's disrespectful and potentially dangerous."
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