According to a recent study, peeing in pools may not only be, when caught, embarrassing, but also dangerous to oneself and fellow swimmers, the Los Angeles Times reports.

When asked if he ever peed in the pool, Olympic champion Michael Phelps once famously admitted he believed "everybody pees in the pool". He may be more right than he knows.

While only one in five Americans admits to peeing where others swim studies suggest the average swimmer unwittingly "drips out" up to two shot glasses of urine swimming session.

Researchers from China Agricultural University and Purdue University found that when urine combines with swimming pool water containing chlorine and other chemicals, two dangerous chemical byproducts are formed, cyanogen chloride and thrichloramine.

These compounds cause a number of problems for swimmers that can affect the lungs, heart and central nervous system as well as other parts of the body.