Question

In your dream, you’re floating on a raft in the middle of the ocean. The sun’s hot, you’re very thirsty, and you’re surrounded by water. You want to take a long, cool drink of seawater, but something you learned in Anatomy & Physiology stops you from drinking and saves your life! Why shouldn’t you drink seawater?

Answer 1

Why shouldn't you drink seawater?

If you drink seawater, the salt content from the salt water will get absorbed into the blood and the blood becomes too much of salty leading to the following problems

1. Human Body gets Dehydrated - Human Kidneys can eliminate only small amount of salt from the body in the form of urine.

In order to remove huge amounts of salt from the body, the kidneys need to produce a lot of urine to eliminate the salts out.

When we drink salt water, our body will require even more water to dilute and eliminate these salts leading to dehydration due to more of urination

2. Shrinkage of Cells - Human cells are made up of semi-permeable membranes which allows water to move in and out of cells. when we drink salt water, sodium concentration is increased outside the cells. In order to make a balance, the water moves out from the cells to external spaces leading to Shrinkage of Cells.

Cell Shrinkage leads to various health problems

3. Increase in Blood Pressure - Result of drinking salt water leads to excess of salt in the body, sodium content in the blood gets increased and this attracts more fluid causing pressure in the blood vessels.

When the body gets dehydrated and trying to excrete the sodium,there is possibility of organ failure and if not treated properly, it may lead to comma and death also

4. Kidney Overload - Function of Kidney is to excrete salt and water which the body does not need and when there is high concentration of salt in the body, the kidneys will work more than the usual to strike a  balance leading to Overload of Kidney and may cause Kidney related diseases like Kidney Failure and eventually death.

5. Cramps - . When sodium builds up in the extracellular space of the cells, the high concentration of sodium outside the cells causes water to move outside affects the musculoskeletal system leading to Cramps

6. A scaly and dry appearance - Cells of the skin lose water content due to hydration leading to skin dryness and scaly nature of the skin