20 gross pool facts that some might scare you off swimming
Over 89 million people swim in public pools each summer, which makes it a popular place to swap germs.
Honestly, most public pools will probably test positive for a disease-causing pathogen, according to Reynolds. Even if the pool is maintained and properly chlorinated, you're dealing with A LOT of people in a SMALL amount of water, creating basically a breeding ground. "Because so many people go into pools, there's a huge exposure potential if there happens to be disease-causing bacteria or pathogens — so a single pool can cause a mass outbreak," says Reynolds.
