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How to Monitor Urine in Pools, by Testing Sweetness

posted by on Wednesday March 01 2017, @11:29PM   Printer-friendly
from the works-for-Baby-Ruths-in-the-pool-too dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Even though Olympic swimmers have admitted doing it, peeing in the pool is not a condoned practice. Urine contributes to the formation of compounds in pool water that can be harmful to people's health. Now scientists are tackling a new way to monitor water quality: by measuring how sweet it is. Their report appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

Recent studies have shown that nitrogenous compounds (e.g., urea) in urine and sweat react with chlorine to form disinfection byproducts (DBPs), including trichloramine, that can cause eye irritation and respiratory problems. Xing-Fang Li, Lindsay K. Jmaiff Blackstock and colleagues say this evidence has highlighted the need for improved understanding of pool chemistry to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of swimming hygiene practices. To estimate how much urine -- and potentially DBPs -- might be in a given pool, Li's team needed to identify what compound might consistently be present in urine. So the researchers turned to the artificial sweetener, acesulfame potassium (ACE), which is marketed as Sunett and Sweet One. The sweetener, which is often used in processed foods like sodas, baked goods and even in other sweeteners, is widely consumed, chemically stable and passes right through the digestive tract and into consumers' urine.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 01 2017, @11:43PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 01 2017, @11:43PM (#473615)

    I swear I must be the only person who does not pee in the pool. Frankly its rude.

  • (Score: 1) by Pax on Wednesday March 01 2017, @11:52PM

    by Pax (5056) on Wednesday March 01 2017, @11:52PM (#473622)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 01, @11:3PM (#473615)

    I swear I must be the only person who does not pee in the pool. Frankly its rude.

    I dunno .. I think you may be taking the piss :P

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Thursday March 02 2017, @12:51AM (2 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday March 02 2017, @12:51AM (#473644)

    You're not alone.
    Unlike some famous people, I like my environment to be urine-free during sex.

    • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday March 02 2017, @04:34PM

      by LoRdTAW (3755) on Thursday March 02 2017, @04:34PM (#473925) Journal

      Unless you have one of those squirters. Knew a guy who loved the fact that his wife pissed all over him during orgasm. I also knew a girl who was afraid of orgasms because she felt that she was going to pee during one.

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 02 2017, @07:01PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Thursday March 02 2017, @07:01PM (#474005) Journal

      Judging by the shade, someone needs to drink a LOT more water.