It’s Not the Chemicals in Pools That Bother Your Eyes, It’s the Pee

OK, so this post, and probably swimming in a public pool from now on, aren't for the faint of heart. Because despite years of stinging eyes from chlorine, the CDC says it's not the chlorine that bothers your eyes. It's the pee.

That's right -- urine, feces and other fluids in swimming pools is the culprit for those red burning eyes after a dip.

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s annual healthy swimming report:

What you smell are actually chemicals that form when chlorine mixes with pee, poop, sweat, and dirt from swimmers’ bodies. Yuck! These chemicals—not chlorine—can cause your eyes to get red and sting, make your nose run, and make you cough

Technically, it's the combination of and reaction between chlorine and...um...other stuffs. So never go swimming again.

Not really. It is still safe. Especially if you shower before, and now after, and try not to open your eyes under water. Or your mouth. Or go in the water. Ever. Again. Never. Gross.

With that being said, check out this list of Lubbock public pools that don't require a membership to swim there.