Stop peeing in the pool. Chlorine doesn't work like you think.

Pee-ple taking bathroom breaks in pools is not good. Subscribe to our channel! Not everyone will readily admit to peeing in swimming pools, but it does happen. An anonymous survey from 2012 found that 19 percent of adults admitted they had peed in a pool at least once. But when you use a pool as a giant toilet, that yellow trail contains some nasty bacteria and parasites. And the amount of urine and other organic materials like sweat, lotion, and dirt can affect the efficacy of chlorine or any other disinfectant in a pool. In some cases, it can take as much as 10 days for chlorine to kill off parasites like Cryptosporidium, one of the biggest culprits of illness outbreaks. But besides not swallowing the water when you go swimming, the solution is real simple. is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out Watch our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Facebook: Or Twitter: