Is This New England Urban Legend About Pool Water True or False?

Pool Myths

Growing up in New England, especially during early childhood through right around the time a person starts entering their teens, so many statements involving pools and pool water were thrown out into the universe.

There's the whole 'you can't go swimming for 30 minutes after you eat a meal or else you'll get stomach cramps and drown' statement. Cue Maury Povich with his go-to line of,

The lie detector determined...that was a lie.

Sorry to blow up your spot, parents. But kids reading this, don't believe it. That's just a quickie excuse for parents to get a little more rest before you run them ragged again.

Then there's the grandparent myth, more specifically, the grandmother myth. Ask and beg them to get in the pool with you, and often times you're met with,

I can't, the pool water/chlorine/chemicals will turn my hair green.

And, once again, like the Morgan Wallen song says, Lies, Lies, Lies.

Then, there's the big myth. That one urban legend told to children around New England when they're a child that lasts with them even into adulthood, because even though they've never seen it happen first-hand, they're always nervous about the risk of it finally happening when they least expect it.

Peeing in Pool Color Change

Don't pee in the pool! There's a chemical in there that turns your pee blue/green and we'll be able to tell that you did it!

It's along the same lines of the ole grandma 'my hair will turn green' pool block, but it's even closer to believable because, well, science. It's 100% believable that a chemical can be added to pool water to indicate urine as soon as it becomes present.

Are Urine Indicators for Pools Real?

According to every Google search ever, and, more specifically, according to the infamous fact-checking website, Snopes, the answer is no. (See the irony in the color change?)

Regardless of the fact that the movie Grown Ups both makes fun of the 'old wives' tale' that peeing in a pool can change the color of the water, then follows up by showing that it's actually possible...

There is no chemical that can function as an indicator for urine in a pool.

HOWEVER. Don't take that as freedom to pee away and any and every pool you ever enter for the rest of your life. Because, even though you won't change the color of the water, according to the National Center for Health Research,

...a chemical in urine and sweat, called uric acid, undergoes a chemical reaction with chlorine to produce two substances– cyanogen chloride and trichloramine. In fact, several studies have shown that competitive swimmers tend to have higher rates of asthma and other respiratory health problems, although the reason for this wasn’t clear. But now some researchers think that these health problems could be caused by cyanogen chloride and trichloramine, which frequent swimmers are exposed to more than other people.

So, in closing, don't be a fool -- stop peeing in the pool.