Town Crier! Shanghai swimming pools full of piss

Water at 18 public swimming pools has been found to contain excessive levels of bacteria, dirt and urea, according to a survey released yesterday by the local health authority.

“The owners of the pools failed to keep the water fresh and allowed people to swim in them without first showering,” said Zhang Fan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Supervision Agency.

In other cases, owners put too much or too little antiseptic and chloride into their pools, Zhang said.

Checks were undertaken at 231  pools between July 1-28, including ones in hotels, schools and gyms.

Of those tested, 18 failed to meet the city’s water quality standards, of which 11 were found to contain excessive levels of urea or chlorine.

These included outlets of the Tera Wellness Club in Pudong and Putuo, and the New KingSport Huangpu No. 1 facility.

Urea is found in urine and sweat, Zhang said.

Seven pools — including those at the Shanghai Sports Palace in Putuo and Shanghai University’s Jiading school — were found to contain unacceptable levels of coliform or other bacteria, he said.

The owners of all 18 pools have been fined and ordered to rectify the problems, Zhang said.

A wee bit disgusting, really...

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