3 Nasty Substances Creeping Around in Gym Pools

We all trust that the chlorine and other chemicals added to the gym pool water do their jobs well.
We rely on them and we don’t usually give it a second thought. I’ll be honest, I usually just put in my Swimbuds Sport, turn on my Underwater Audio Waterproof iPod Shuffle, jump in, and tune out. Well… maybe we should give it a second thought… Or even a third..
The “research team from Purdue University took water samples from three indoor pools… After analyzing the samples…” here is what they found in the water:
 

DEET

DEET. It’s not a super common term. Turns out it’s an ingredient in bug spray.
Yuck.
“They speculate that the DEET came from bug spray that washed off swimmers’ skin.”
Not the most pleasant or appetizing thought.
 

Caffeine

Caffeine? You mean the stuff I drink in my Mountain Dew? How did that get in there? Wait… Maybe I don’t want to know…
“The caffeine may have been introduced into the pool via “human excretions”—in other words, sweat and urine.”
I was right. I definitely DID NOT want to know.
 

PPCPs: pharmaceutical and personal care product byproducts

PPCPs is another term that is not thrown around in daily conversation.
Apparently, it just means the stuff that you put on your skin goes into the water and stays there… forever…
“The study cited previous research that found lotion and sunscreen in pool water, too. It’s also possible that more PPCPs and human waste byproducts could be in the water samples the researchers took, but they just weren’t detectable in this study.” 
 

Wait, Don’t Quit the Gym Just Yet

Before you freak out and never go to the pool again, the researchers say,
“Right now, there’s no cause for alarm.”
But two tips: Do your best to not ingest the pool water & rinse off before and after swimming in the pool. If you have any comments or questions about these alarming facts, feel free to write to us in the section below.