The AFU and Urban Legend Archive
Misc
 urine in pools




From: Bret Wood <bretwood@cs.uoregon.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Urine in Swimming Pools
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 19:36:08 -0700

Dick Nimmons wrote:
>
> Phenythaline (sp?) would do the trick. Of course, it would be more
> dangerous to the swimmers than the pee.

Phenolphthalein might reduce the instances of peeing in the pool, but it's a laxative, so it would probably be a case of "out of the frying pan, into the fire."

Phenolphthalein is colorless at a pH below 8.0. As the pH increases from 8.0 to 9.7, it goes from pale pink, to bright red or magenta.

The pH of urine is apparently in the range of 4.6-8.0 according to http://www.healthcentral.com/mhc/top/003583.cfm , so if phenolphthalein was used to detect peeing in the pool, it would have to turn from red to clear, not the other way around. But I suspect that phenolphthalein gave someone the original idea for this UL.

Most swimming pools are operated at a pH of 7.2 - 7.6. Apparently there are a very few people who keep the pH higher (7.8 - 8.2). See: http://www.poolsolutions.com/hiphpool.html

So, if you are willing to swim in a magenta colored pool, keep your pool at an unusually high pH, and check to see if some of the water briefly turns clear, then you might be able to use phenolphthalein to detect peeing. But you'd probably have to get an underwater pooper-scooper to deal with the new problems.

Personally, I _hated_ doing lab work with pheonphthalein because I'm red-green color deficient (kind of like being _partially_ color blind), and I can't see faint shades of pink.

-Bret Wood
-bretwood@cs.uoregon.edu


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