A couple of years ago, I saw the comedy “Grown Ups.” The funniest scene of the movie is when actor Kevin James is in the pool at a crowded water park, surrounded by a small, dark blue cloud of water. His daughter whines, “Dad, are you making a sissy? You know they put a chemical in the pool that turns urine blue.” The camera zooms out to show kids fleeing the pool as James nervously denies his daughter’s accusation.

Although the blue chemical is a myth, the problem of people urinating in pools is disturbingly common. According to a 2009 survey by the Water and Health Council, nearly one in five respondents admitted to urinating in a public pool at least once. As a competitive swimmer, I know this statistic all too well.

When I brought up my doubts about urinating in the pool to my teammates, a few assured me that urine is germ-free and therefore not harmful in the pool. However, a recent study by Loyola University Chicago researchers proved urine is not sterile, refuting their claims.

But it is not just a few of my teammates that are uneducated on pool hygiene. In an article published by the Wall Street Journal, professional swimmer Michael Phelps is reported to have confessed to urinating in the pool, saying, “I think everybody pees in the pool. Chlorine kills it so it’s not bad.”

I know Phelps is right about how many people urinate in pools on a constant basis. But he’s wrong, along with many other Americans, in believing that chlorine kills the bacteria from urine. A study published in the journal “Environmental Science & Technology” says chlorine doesn’t kill the contents of urine. Instead, it was discovered that uric acid, found in human urine, combines with chlorine to create cyanogen chloride and trichloramine. These highly toxic by products can negatively affect organ function, especially the lungs and heart.

Urinating in pools is unhygienic and dangerous, yet leisurely pool-goers and competitive swimmers alike continue to do it. Perhaps they are oblivious to the serious consequences for themselves and those in the pool with them. As fall approaches and the girls’ high school swim season is in full swing, I’m starting to wonder what it will take to stop this unsanitary habit and create awareness about its repercussions. Maybe the invention of a certain blue chemical Kevin James is very familiar with will do the trick.