A new survey finds that one in five adults admit to peeing in public pools. The survey, by the Water Quality & Health Council, also finds that nearly 70-percent admit they do not always shower before getting in the pool leading to unhealthy swimming conditions.

"Swimming is not a substitute for bathing. Too many people unknowingly treat the pool as a communal bathtub," said Dr. Chris Wiant, chair of the Water Quality & Health Council. "It may seem counter-intuitive, but it's important to shower before you jump in the pool to help keep swimming healthy for everyone in the pool."

"The pre-swim shower removes a lot of the sweat, cosmetics and urine that can mix with chlorine to create irritants in pool water," said Michele Hlavsa, Chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Swimming Program. "These irritants, not the chlorine itself, cause red eyes when we swim and the strong chemical smell of some pools."

The WQHC is again making available this year free pool test strips so swimmers can check pH and chlorine levels using a simple, color-coded test strip. Proper chlorine levels and pH help keep pools healthy by destroying waterborne germs that can cause diarrhea, swimmer's ear, and skin infections.

Free test strips can be requested and results uploaded by visiting http://www.healthypools.org/freeteststrips .