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Urine isn’t exactly something you’d describe as fascinating or useful, except for its role in waste elimination. In fact, you likely don’t give much thought to urine or urination unless you're in the middle of it. But why bother? It doesn’t seem intriguing at first glance... or does it? In this list, we’ll uncover ten surprising facts about urine—some intriguing and some downright strange. Join us as we journey through history, the present, and even into the future to explore what makes this bodily waste so extraordinary!
10. The Primary Component in Urine Is Used to Flavor Cigarettes
There are plenty of reasons to steer clear of cigarettes, such as their addictive nature, the bad breath and yellowing teeth they cause, along with the many harmful and potentially lethal effects they have on your health. But just in case that doesn’t convince you, here's another shocking fact:
Urea (also known as carbamide), the primary compound in urine, is used to enhance cigarette flavor. But don’t worry; cigarette manufacturers aren’t simply adding human urine to the tobacco blend. Urea is an organic compound that’s included in the cigarette-making process, and it can be synthetically produced in laboratories.
Urea is an incredibly versatile substance found in a wide range of products, from fertilizers and plastics to animal feed and even explosives. It also plays a role in the human body, particularly in nitrogen excretion, and is the primary nitrogen-based compound in mammalian urine.
So, while you’re not exactly puffing on urine, the next time you light a cigarette, this little fact may make you pause and reconsider what’s really inside it.
9. Swim in the Ocean or Swim in the Pee?
We've all visited the local swimming pool, and we all know that some individuals tend to urinate in the water. But don’t worry, the chlorine supposedly takes care of it right away. It’s better than swimming in the cold, salty ocean, right? Well... not exactly.
A survey reveals that 20% of pool-goers admit to urinating in the pool. There’s a common belief that chlorine makes your eyes red, but the truth is it's a combination of chlorine and urine. The strong chlorine odor you notice when entering a pool area comes from the reactions between chlorine and bodily fluids left behind by swimmers, such as sweat, saliva, urine, and even tears—after you learn this fact.
So, next time you think you’re being cautious by swimming in a sanitized, man-made pool, maybe think again.
8. Urine Was Once Considered Sterile
Believe it or not, many people still hold the common misconception that urine is sterile. In fact, some health enthusiasts swear by drinking it daily as a detox method for their bodies.
Doctors once believed that urine's sterile nature allowed them to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs) simply by detecting bacteria in it. However, recent studies have shown that bacteria is actually present in most urine. This was revealed through a method called expanded quantitative urine culture, which identifies bacteria that standard techniques might miss. This breakthrough means doctors can now detect and diagnose UTIs much faster than before.
Oh, and it turns out that those health enthusiasts drinking their own urine are doing it for no good reason!
7. Urinating Causes the Death of 225 Canadian Men Every Year
Though anyone can meet an unfortunate end while urinating, it seems to be especially problematic in Canada, and here's the reason why:
Canada, with its three surrounding oceans and a multitude of vast lakes and rivers, is a nation deeply connected to water. Many Canadians live close to these water bodies and frequently partake in activities like swimming, boating, and fishing. However, it's while fishing that urinating can become deadly.
Around 225 men die annually while urinating off the side of their boat during fishing trips. This is typically due to a mix of alcohol, carelessness, and lack of experience. The problem is so widespread that there's even a dedicated website aimed at warning men about the dangers of drowning while relieving themselves over the edge of their boat.
So, a simple rule to remember: when fishing, always bring a bucket, and stick to coffee.
6. Rats Use Urine To Mark Food As Edible
Rats are extraordinary animals that can be found in nearly every corner of the Earth. They use their urine for a wide variety of reasons, such as leaving behind a personal advertisement, attracting a potential mate, and even urinating on one another as part of their mating selection process and to mark territory. Additionally, they use urine to signal that food is safe to consume.
This is especially evident in rats with a highly diverse diet. Since rats cannot vomit, they must exercise caution to ensure that the food they eat is not toxic. One way they do this is by urinating near or on food that is edible. Their urine contains a special attractant that signals to other rats that the food has been tested and is safe. Younger rats are particularly drawn to this signal, although their attraction to it fades as they age.
Although it may seem unpleasant, it’s a much safer alternative than consuming something poisonous.
5. Urine Can Help Whiten Teeth
Have you ever wondered how those celebrities achieve their brilliant smiles? The secret is likely bleach, but for a far more affordable option, look no further than your own urine, particularly the urea within it.
Urea is a surprisingly beneficial byproduct of human waste. When it decomposes, it forms ammonia, and if boiled and concentrated, it becomes rich in ammonia. (You might want to wear a gas mask!) Ammonia is widely used in many household cleaners, antibacterial agents, and even bleaching products. Its distinctive smell is familiar to anyone who’s been near a public urinal. The ancient Romans were known to use urine as a tooth-whitening agent, and surprisingly, this practice continues even today.
If you decide to give this old-school, cost-effective method a try, just be sure to freshen your breath with some gum afterward.
4. Using Urine as Fuel for Cars in the Future
Urine has a surprising range of uses, and it might even transform how we power cars and create renewable energy in the future.
Gerardine Botte, a scientist from Ohio, has come up with a groundbreaking invention: an electrolyzer. This device requires less energy than an AA battery to extract hydrogen from urea. In the past, producing hydrogen as a renewable energy source was difficult due to the large amount of energy needed. While water requires 1.23 volts to release hydrogen, urea only needs 0.37 volts because hydrogen bonds more loosely with nitrogen in urea than with oxygen in water.
The challenge of distributing hydrogen has also been solved. With this new device in your car, you can simply urinate into the tank, and the electrolyzer will do the rest. It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds—Gerardine Botte believes that pee-powered cars capable of achieving 60 miles per gallon could be on the road within a year.
Imagine no longer having to face the soaring prices of gasoline (though you might end up spending a bit more on bottled water).
3. Peeing on a jellyfish sting won’t provide relief.
Picture this: You’re spending a lovely day at the beach with friends, enjoying the sun and splashing around in the water. Then, you’re stung by one of those strange, sometimes frightening creatures: a jellyfish. Your instinct might be to shout, “Quick, someone pee on it!” This is likely the one scenario where such a request wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, since many believe the remedy for a jellyfish sting is pee. Unfortunately, that’s a myth.
The widely spread belief is that the acid in your urine helps to break down the jellyfish’s toxins and ease the pain. However, this isn’t true. Even if your urine is highly acidic (depending on your diet), it still isn’t powerful enough to neutralize the potent alkaline toxins. The only benefit you may experience from being urinated on is the warmth of the urine, which could provide a mild soothing effect, or the distraction from the bizarre nature of the situation.
2. Frogs can be injected with urine to determine if you’re pregnant.
It might sound a bit unusual or even bizarre, but up until the 1960s, the most reliable pregnancy test involved injecting a woman’s urine into a female African clawed frog.
The story begins in the 1930s with scientist Lancelot Hogben, who discovered that he could control the frogs’ ovulation using ox hormones. While similar tests had been performed before, those involved dissecting mice and rabbits and examining their ovaries, a process that was both time-consuming and inefficient. Amphibians had also been used, but the African clawed frog stood out because it laid eggs year-round, unlike other amphibians that only reproduced seasonally, meaning researchers had to wait much longer between tests.
These specially selected frogs were shipped worldwide to frog laboratories. Doctors would send urine samples from their patients to these labs, where scientists would inject the urine into the frogs’ dorsal lymph sacs and wait 12 hours. If the frog showed signs of ovulation and produced eggs, it meant that human chorionic gonadotropin was present in the woman’s urine, indicating pregnancy. This procedure was known as the Hogben test.
1. Urine: A Surprising Ingredient in Gunpowder Production
What purpose does war truly serve? Surprisingly, one of its contributions has been in discovering how to put human waste to use.
As firearms became increasingly prevalent in warfare, the demand for gunpowder grew, and producing it required some essential ingredients. Gunpowder consists of 15% charcoal (easily sourced from wood), 10% sulfur (extracted from volcanic areas), and 75% potassium nitrate (a rarer substance in nature).
While early gunpowder enthusiasts sourced potassium nitrate from bat droppings mixed with cave minerals, during the US Civil War, there was a need for a more efficient and large-scale method. The solution came in the form of two processes utilizing urine—the French method and the Swiss method. The French method involved combining manure with urine, straw, and ashes and tending to it for up to a year, followed by filtering through more ashes and water. The Swiss method was similar, but it involved filtering the urine through stable floors into a sandpit below, then processing it like the French method.
To make matters worse, if you were shot during the Civil War, the bullet that hit you had likely been propelled by an explosion involving urine.
