Is the water safe?
I cannot even count the times Aqua Pools gets the phone call asking-” Does this sound like the water is safe?”
Here are a few things to consider: Use your senses!
A while back, musician, composer and radio talk show host John Tesh tweeted the finding from a recent Water Quality & Health Council survey that one in five swimmers admit to “peeing in the pool”. Tesh warns, “If you smell chlorine, stay out”. I appreciate the fact that Tesh raised this subject and respectfully submit that his tweet needs a tiny tweak.
A healthy chlorinated pool can emit a light chemical odor, especially if it is an indoor pool and one with less than ideal ventilation. It is good advice, however, to stay out of the water when a strong chemical smell pervades the air around any type of pool, indoor or outdoor. On this point John Tesh is absolutely correct.
What actually causes the distinctive, irritating smell around swimming pools is not chlorine–that’s an urban myth–but volatile substances known as chloramines. Chloramines form in pool water when chlorine combines with contaminants brought into the pool by swimmers. Think urine, perspiration, body oils and cosmetics. The truth is that cleaner swimming, not less chlorine, can help reduce the chloramine irritants that cause “swimmer red eye” and itchy skin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s swimmer hygiene tips recommend swimmers shower with soap before entering the pool (almost 70% of the survey respondents said they don’t do this routinely)and stop peeing in the pool.
The next sentence of Tesh’s tweet requires no tweaking at all: The smell gets stronger if there’s urine in the water. It is true that the more urine there is to combine with chlorine, the higher the level of unwanted, smelly chloramines in the pool. Following that thread, if chlorine is combining chemically with contaminants like urine, then it is not available to destroy germs in the pool that can make swimmers sick with diarrhea, swimmer’s ear and various skin infections.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents to the survey agreed with the urban myth that it is chlorine in pool water that makes swimmers’ eyes red and irritated. Ironically, the irritants actually responsible, chloramines, may be produced when there is not enough chlorine in the pool. The bottom line: Pool operators need to keep pool chemicals in appropriate ranges. Swimmers need to clean up their act. The proof will be in the air around the pool.
Moral of the story-Do not pee in the pool! Report any odd smells to the proper pool operator at the facility you are at-if they do not respond appropriately and take action-call us at Aqua Pools we can help. You can also purchase test strips at our store to take with you to the public pool you are at. We can teach you what to look for to keep your family safe!
If you are dealing with an indoor facility call us and we can help with the indoor pools as well!!
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