Is this possible?

[Closet Philosopher]

THis sounds weird, but take it from a science persepective.

I did the second day of my lifeguarding crash course today and we had to do deep diving without goggles. I opened my eyes from time to time underwater. THe chlorine in the YMCA was really strong today. It has been hours since I vacated the pool. Every time my tear glands let our moisture, it feels like there is chlorine in it and it burns my eyes. My eyes then burn even more because I tear more and it really hurts. Is it possible that I "absorbed" chlorine from the pool and it got into my system, so when I tear, my eyes burn then I tear even more and then it burns more, so it is a cycle. How can this happen if I showered after getting out of the pool? Can I absorb chlorine?

 

[eddymrsci]

your cell membranes are selectively permeable, so I don't think they actually "absorbed" the chlorine

PLUS, the water in YMCA can only be at a certain concentration, you could not have been exposed to a lot of chlorine because your body surface is not burned. however, your eye tissues are more tender, that might be why it stung after exposure to small amounts of chlorine. In any case, I don't think it can go in a cycle because the body does not produce chlorine, at least not in the eye (the stomach produces hydrochloric acid), so the chlorine you got from the pool would simply have chemical reactions with your tissues (and it caused stinging sensations in your eye), and the chlorine would no longer be there after the reaction, it would be in some other form, possibly harmless

So I wouldn't worry too much, the consistent stinging sensations may be the results from slight tissue damage from the chlorine, and you know, eye tissues are very sensitive

 

[Closet Philosopher]

Yeah, I'm not worrying, it's the next morning now and I feel fine. I was curious about how my eyes will burn long after I left the pool. I think yo ukind of answered my question, thatnk you.

 

[invert_nexus]

Think maybe it's too much salt in your diet? Just a guess...

It's been a while since I've been in a pool that bad. They have to keep it well chlorinated at public pools to keep down on the fungus and urine, I bet. Next time, don't open your eyes.

 

[Closet Philosopher]

It's hard to not open my eyes when I have to do spinal caries on submerged people.

Taday, I opened my eyes less and I am fine. I was told that the chlorine concentration in the pool was high yesterday. Sometimes they have to shock the pool if it gets soiled.

We have 8 people in my lifeguarding class and we have the whole facility to ourselves, it is so cool: http://www.ymca-nb.on.ca/index.html

You can see the hot tub in the distance of the pool pic and out of sight where the pic is being taken,m there is a shallow pool for kids where we practice shallow spinals and a tot pool. I love swimming, damn chlorine.