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! Be sure to give this video a “like,” share
it with your friends, and click “subscribe” to stay on the Bright Side of life!
