Imagine being stuck in a public swimming pool, unable to get out of the water.
“Eh, no biggie,” you say?
Well, you might have a change of heart after watching this video!
Before you find out what would happen if you stayed in a pool for too long, don’t forget
to subscribe and ring that notification bell to join us on the Bright Side!
Now, the first thing you’d notice after being in the water for a while is that your
fingertips get all wrinkly.
Don’t worry, you haven’t aged 50 years in half an hour’s time!
It’s just your skin adapting to the underwater conditions, giving you a better grip on wet
objects.
Handy little superpower of our bodies, eh?
While wrinkled fingers are kinda fun, what happens next isn’t so much.
Remember that very specific chemical smell when you enter the pool area?
That’s the chlorine they use to clean the pool water.
And according to Live Science, the chemical itself has a rather weak smell.
However, when it comes into contact with bodily fluids like sweat, oils, or urine, they create
a reaction that causes the infamous “chlorine” stink.
And get this: if the pool is really clean, you should be able to open your eyes underwater
with pretty much no discomfort.
If your eyes sting, though, that’s because of bodily fluids binding with the chlorine.
Basically, someone else’s pee gets in your eyes, making them burn.
Eww…
Speaking of pee, you better hope that nobody did their business in this pool that you’re
stuck in, and that’s not just for your eyes’ sake!
According to research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, the
uric acid in urine creates hazardous byproducts when it interacts with chlorine.
The study found that these byproducts, cyanogen chloride and trichloramine, are extremely
dangerous for your lungs.
Another study conducted by researchers at the Scientific University of the South in
Lima, Peru yielded even more disturbing results: it found that such chlorine byproducts can
affect human DNA and even lead to cancer!
One of the less threatening but equally unpleasant effects of chlorine on your body is what it
does to your hair.
Remember, chlorine’s purpose is to destroy dirt, oil, and bacteria.
So, naturally, it also removes oils from your hair, making it dry and brittle.
That means that the longer you stay trapped in this pool, the more likely you’ll have
to invest in a good wig.
Or, ya know, just throw a hat on that poor dry mane of yours!
Chemical reactions aren’t the only thing that can affect your health in the pool.
There are at least two types of parasites that are highly resistant to chlorine, making
it almost useless to disinfect the water with this chemical.
These parasites are Cryptosporidium (a.k.a. “Crypto”) and Giardia.
When they invade the human body, they both cause nasty symptoms like diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting, and stomach cramps.
The way they get into pool water is still the same: people.
Yep, yourself included!
Now get ready for more disgusting stuff.
Every one of us, except maybe those who have just thoroughly showered, carries a very small
amount of fecal matter on us everywhere we go.
You heard that right: you’ve got some itsy-bitsy poo particles on you right now!
And that person next to you too.
Don’t sniff, that’s impolite!
Anyway, when you enter the swimming pool, this fecal matter gets spread in the water
and contaminates it.
And the more people there are in the pool, the higher the concentration of…uh…microscopic
number two!
Oh, and do you always keep your head above water when swimming?
If you go under, chances are that you swallow a small amount of that contaminated water,
ingesting those Crypto and Giardia bacteria living in the feces of your fellow swimmers.
The good news is that your immune system is often strong enough to fight the invaders.
The bad news is that, according to research conducted by the CDC, you only need 10 germs
of Crypto to become sick.
To understand the scale, a single person infected with Crypto can shed up to 100 million germs
in one bowel movement.
So if there’s even one swimmer with this parasite in your vicinity, you’re at a high
risk of contracting it too.
Not to go off on a tangent there with all that nasty bacteria talk, but it is important
to the question at hand.
Remember how your fingers got all pruney and extra grippy?
Well, that’s just the innocent beginning of a terrifying journey when it comes to how
your skin will react to being submerged in water for too long.
You might have noticed how, after a good long bath, some of your old skin peels away, making
you feel very snake-like.
If that happens after just an hour or so, what will come of being in the water for a
much longer time?
Well, as Dr. Jeffrey Fromowitz, a dermatologist in Boca Raton, Florida, puts it, “Prolonged
immersion in water supersaturates the skin and can lead to skin breakdown.”
It means that, after a day or two in the water, your skin will start to form vesicles.
No, not tentacles, although that would be really cool and useful in this situation!
Vesicles are bubbles that appear when liquid is trapped between the outer and middle layer
of the skin.
Well, these bad boys will erupt eventually, and your epidermis will literally start to
peel away.
Yeah, definitely doesn’t sound like a good place to be in, right?
Believe it or not, it gets worse!
So, your skin is peeling away, but the tissue that gets uncovered in the process is completely
unprotected from all the dangers lurking in the water.
And here’s where all that talk about bacteria, parasites, and harsh chemicals comes into
the picture.
Your poor pink flesh will be exposed to all that nasty dangerous stuff with no means to
defend itself!
Ok, it can’t possibly get any grosser than that, right?
Sorry, but it does!
After some more time, the pressure of the water will start affecting your whole body.
So, to add insult to injury, not only will you contract different diseases due to your
lack of dermal protection, you’ll also experience muscle cramps in your legs and have difficulty
breathing.
In addition to that, if the water isn’t warm enough, you can suffer from severe hypothermia.
That doesn’t sound like a fun time at the pool to me…
After a week or two of your extended stay in the pool, depending on your stamina and
resistance, the blood circulation in your limbs will be almost completely cut off, making
it impossible for you to tread water.
You’ll only be able to stay afloat on your back.
The outer layer of your skin will completely come off, making you vulnerable to all dangers
imaginable, so you’ll almost certainly catch several infections that cause diarrhea, stomach
cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
You’ll probably develop open sores too.
In fact, if no one comes to your rescue at this point, your very life will be in extreme
danger!
So, I think it goes without saying, don’t ever test this hypothetical situation out
for yourself!
In fact, let’s finish on a bright note and talk about what you can do to stay safe at
the pool!
The coolest thing is that these guidelines will not only protect you but your fellow
swimmers as well! ـ Take a thorough shower before entering
the pool area and after swimming.
ـ Always have your footwear on before you get into the water to avoid fungal infections
like athlete’s foot.
ـ Never go to the pool if you’re feeling unwell.
ـ Never swallow water in the swimming pool.
ـ And, finally, don’t pee in the pool!
…Or stay there for too long because, well, you know now!
So, Bright Siders, what’s your most memorable pool story?
Feel free to share in the comments below!
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