If someone tells you that they have never urinated into the sea, they are lying. Well, it’s not always like that, but the numbers are there. According to the Proctor & Gamble survey, 60% of respondents say they have it. And nearly half said they’ve done it more than once. For this reason, different municipal regulations in our country have been fighting for years against this practice, which they consider to be harmful to the environment.

This debate has been raging ever since the Galician city of Vigo set fines for those who do.

the new norm. Approved in 2021 but implemented this summer, Vigo City Council’s new rule for beaches imposes fines of up to 750 euros on those who urinate into the sea. The doubts of many become quite obvious: How will the City Council ensure that everyone abides by it? It is almost impossible to control. In fact, the punishment of those caught while relaxing at sea has reached the international arena by creating controversy.

French newspaper Le Parisien He wrote an article entitled Spain: faire pipi dans la mer peut coûter jusqu’à 750 euro d’amende à Vigo (Spain: Peeing into the sea can cost a fine of up to 750 euros in Vigo) and the British newspaper The Times featured the following headlines: Spain’s city of Vigo fines £645 for those who urinate into the sea (The Spanish city of Vigo imposes a £645 fine on those who urinate into the sea.) The controversy also spread to Twitter..

Fines. Other more serious bad practices, such as smoking on the beach, can lead to fines of up to 3,000 euros, while minor ones (like urinating) reach 750 euros, although the amount varies according to the crime and the agent’s criteria. In other words, the competent authority will consider “the degree of intent, persistence, harm caused or recidivism”. And of course, in cases of ignorance, police may choose to “verbally warn” to cease activity. No, a seven-year-old will not be fined.

this is nothing new. In the last decade, similar measures have been taken in some cities in Spain. On the coast of Valencia in 2010, Peeing on the beach was banned with similar penalties. Moreover in the town of Muro in 2011in Majorca and On the beach of San Pedro del Pinatar in 2017in Murcia. Now it’s the turn of the Galician city of Vigo, headed by Abel Caballero.

Does urinating in the sea pollute it? It is a complex question, even for scientists. According to a study by the American Chemical Society, urinating in the sea does not harm the oceans or their ecosystems, as pee is 95% water. It also contains sodium and chloride ions, which the ocean itself concentrates in even greater quantities. Both ocean and urine contain potassium.

While it’s true that urine contains a compound not found in the ocean, urea (a carbon-based substance that helps rid the nitrogen body), the study notes that nitrogen can combine with water to produce ammonia, which acts as a nutrient for plants. organisms in the ocean.

And in the pool? In this case, there are reasons not to do it, according to another study published in Environmental Science and Technology. Why? Why? Mainly because uric acid found in human urine interacts with chlorine (the disinfectant used in swimming pools) to form two dangerous compounds: cyanogen chloride and trichloramine. These seem to cause respiratory problems and skin irritation in those who regularly bathe in these waters.

Never in lakes or corals. A study published in the journal TIME suggested that a lake in northern Germany was closed due to an “algal bloom caused by significant amounts of human urine, which has poisoned more than 500 fish.” Coral reefs are also endangered. Why? Why? Urine provides many nutrients to the water, which may sound positive at first, but it really isn’t.

These nutrients cause a large number of bacteria and algae to multiply, which is harmful in many ways. For example, this article in La Razón says that water can darken and block sunlight from reaching photosynthetic organisms. In addition, some of these algae produce compounds that are toxic to some species and consume large amounts of oxygen.

And watch out for drugs. As discussed in this Hypertextual article, some research has explored how high levels of cocaine and MDMA are found in rivers near certain music festivals. affecting eel populations. No more leaving a promenade nightclub and going straight to the sea to urinate. It’s one of the most unpleasant practices we constantly see in Spain’s tourist destinations during the summer months. Let it be for the poor fish.

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