Re: What would cause human urine to be cloudy.

Amy,

The kidneys have important functions in removing nitrogenous wastes and 
maintaining the chemical and fluid balance of the body. It does this by 
excreting/secreting into the urine water, urea, uric acid, urate salts, 
carbonates,calcium, phorphorus, sodium, potassium, ammonium ion and 
bicarbonate ion, etc.

A cloudy urine can be caused by precipitation of crystals and amorphous 
salts. Phosphates and carbonate salts precipitate in alkaline urine and 
can be redissolved by acidifying the urine with acetic acid. Uric acid and 
urates can be redissolved by heating the urine to 60C. Urate salts also 
dissolve in acidified urine.

Other causes for cloudy urine are: leucocytes(pus), bacteria, red blood 
cells, spermatozoa and prostatic secretions in men, in women contamination 
of the collected urine specimen from vaginal secretions and finally, mucus 
secreted from the urinary tract.