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Uric acid in swimming pools is dangerous to your health
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Recently, scientists from the United States and China conducted a study of water in swimming pools and came to the conclusion that it may contain quite toxic compounds - trichloramine and cyanogen chloride.
Cyanogen chloride is highly toxic and causes local irritation, suffocation, and can also lead to death. When breathing in harmful fumes, the lungs and cardiovascular system suffer first. In addition, the compound trichloramine causes serious lung damage. According to the study, ten minutes of inhalation of air containing toxic compounds, in particular cyanogen chloride, increases the risk of death. Long-term exposure to trichloramine in the respiratory tract leads to severe burns.
The harmful compounds that form in the pool are a by-product of disinfection and poor hygiene by swimmers. During the study, scientists analyzed how chlorine, which is necessary to inhibit the development of microorganisms in water, interacts with uric acid and other body fluids. As the results showed, uric acid contained in human urine, when interacting with chlorine, forms the above-mentioned toxic compounds.
The compound trichloramine, when interacting with chlorine-containing disinfectants, causes severe damage to the pulmonary system. Scientists are concerned: as studies show, more than 90% of uric acid found in swimming pools is a product of human activity, in other words, if one of the swimmers decides to pee right in the pool, this will trigger a chemical reaction that is dangerous to human life and health, during which volatile toxic compounds begin to form. According to experts, both the air and water in swimming pools can and should be significantly improved through good hygiene habits of visitors. Many swimmers ignore warning signs about proper hygiene in pools, which leads to the development of serious diseases not only in them, but also in other people visiting the pool.
A 2009 survey found that more than 60% of people do not even suspect that inhaling, swallowing, or any contact with contaminated water can cause serious illnesses. Recently, the number of illnesses caused by contaminated pool water has been increasing. The most common is diarrhea, which is caused by Cryptosporidium and E. Coli bacteria, the latter of which is present in almost half of public pools in the United States.
To reduce the risk of developing diseases, experts recommend not to visit a public swimming pool during diarrhea, before the pool it is necessary to take a shower with soap, after visiting the toilet you need to wash your hands thoroughly.
Other studies conducted in this area have shown that systematic visits to indoor pools with chlorinated water can lead to severe respiratory diseases and DNA damage, which increases the risk of developing cancerous tumors.