A study by the Dongguan Municipal Health Bureau of 136 local swimming pools has found that almost 40% fall below national hygiene standards, Yangcheng Evening News reports.

The annual study which began July 6 found that 49 of the swimming pools contained excess amounts of coliform bacteria, chlorine and urea. Although the pass rate almost doubled on last year, there were still disturbing findings, such as that 18 of those that failed to meet health standards were in upmarket hotels.

Head of the bureau Yao Xufang said that almost all had the right water purification equipment but many were lax when it came to replacing and supplementing water and disinfectant.

Swimming pools are of course most crowded at this time of year and particularly dangerous to swimmers is an excess concentration of chlorine. It can cause eye, skin and even respiratory problems.

Yesterday the below meme was doing the rounds on Sina Weibo which rather sums up the predicament of those of us who swim in public pools.

Here is a translation:

The water in a public swimming pool consists of: water + disinfectant + saliva + urine + eye wax + ear wax + mucus + menstrual blood + dead skin + hair + dandruff + all kinds of germs + athlete’s foot + pus from scars + vaginal discharge + semen + bird faeces + tiny bits of faeces + flatus! HAHAHA! Buddies, let’s go for a swim