Confirmed: Urine is not sterile

LiveScience via FoxNews ^ | 5-23-2014 | Stephanie Pappas

[EinNYC]

Hand me the eye bleach please, extra strength!

[shove_it]

Don’t eat yellow snow.

[Caipirabob]

"But I still like the taste..."

[dr_lew]

My dad once confided to me “an old farmers trick”, namely to pee on your hands to alleviate blistering. I’m sure it works great.

[Oratam]

I remember being taught it was sterile in 7th or 8th grade. I remember it because I asked my teacher if it could be used to sterilize a knife or a needle in an emergency. The teacher practically yelled at me, "I said it was sterile, not that it could sterilize!"

I think I was only expressing optimism.

[mosesdapoet]

In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled Confirmed: Urine is not sterile, jurroppi1 wrote:
When visiting Wisconsin Dells about 8 years ago, I saw a sign hanging above each urinal in the men’s bathroom.

Paraphrasing, it said: Wash your hands after you finish. It went on to say that while urine is sterile, it is the bacteria that live on the genitalia that are potentially harmful. It stated that urine was sometimes used in field surgery when water wasn’t available to clean wounds.

All of this was admonished and endorsed by a military person of significant rank, though I don’t remember whom or what rank now.

During the “Battle of the Bulge” urine was somehow recycled from patients urine who were recieving Penicilin and sulfa drugs.Apparently the process saved many lives by reducing infections that is perhaps the origination of that statement.

[Utilizer]

NO PEEING IN THE SHOWER!

Too late!!! *grins* (ducks!)

[crazycatlady]

It can be soothing for itching due to insect bites and stuff. As I understand, it’s a remedy for jellyfish stings, though I have no personal experience with that.
Internal use—not for me, or most Americans I suspect. But I understand its a popular practice in some Asian countries.

There was a lot of discussion(rather more than I would have liked) of urine drinking in the memoir Yoga Bitch. I forget the authors name offhand.

[CommerceComet]

This the one of the issues that led to the split of Cody Lundin and Joe Teti on Dual Survivor. They had a big argument about drinking urine in a survival situation. Cody insisted that he wouldn't do it because urine is not sterile and that Joe was crazy for doing so.

[UCANSEE2]

I think they are just pissing away our money.

[Lazamataz]

See the little clearing in the upper left of the picture?

You can just make out Chuck Norris, wearing a "Knock ME Out Game" t-shirt.

[UCANSEE2]

Yeah, but my only question is...

Is he washing his hands or brushing his teeth with it ?

[Vigilanteman]

You’ve got to wonder why they’d spend all than money analysing urine if it was bacteria free.

[jurroppi1]

Interesting information, thanks for sharing.

[TigersEye]

It wasn’t sterility that Cody had an issue with it was the fact that the urine has high levels of nitrogen and other toxins that will cause you to dehydrate faster than if you drink nothing. He is right.

[Gritty]

Oh, no. So I guess we can't blame camel urine for MERS any more?

Back to the drawing board...

[crazycatlady]

Suzanne Morrison is the author of Yoga Bitch.

Yes, I think it’s important to remember that if the body is getting rid of something, it’s doing so for a reason.