Effects of Drinking Seawater

Seawater tastes bitter. It contains minerals such as potassium and iodine, and its salt content is roughly 35 parts per thousand. This means in one cubic mile of sea water, the amount of salt would be 120 million tons. Ocean water is also three times more salty than your blood. Drinking seawater is not advisable since its effects are thirst, dehydration, kidney failure and ultimately, death.

Thirsty

• The human body cannot process the amount of salt contained in seawater. When you normally have salt in your diet, you are drinking additional fluids to dilute the salt. Once you are start drinking large quantities of seawater, cells become deprived of water because the salt in the bloodstream pulls water out of the cells. This reaction causes your brain to send messages to your body for more fresh water. Thus, drinking seawater makes you thirstier.

Dehydration

• Once you continue drinking seawater, you are thirsty and your mouth feels dry. Dehydration starts to set in. You may feel sleepy and dizzy. You may not urinate and you will feel confused. In severe dehydration, your skin will feel shriveled and dry. Your eyes will become sunken into your face and your blood pressure will drop. Fever, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing are also symptoms of severe dehydration. If medical attention is not sought, delirium or unconsciousness may occur.

Kidney Failure

• Kidneys keep your blood clean and your body chemically balanced. Humans have two kidneys, shaped like beans, on either side of the spine underneath the rib cage. Each day, the kidneys process about 200 qts. of blood, like a sieve, to remove about 2 qts. of waste and extra water. This waste becomes your urine. Drinking seawater may cause kidney, or renal, failure by causing the kidneys to work overtime to remove the unwanted salt and other impurities. You will urinate more, losing more water. Drinking seawater will eventually cause the kidneys to completely fail.

Death

• Once your kidneys fail, your body will fill with excess water and waste products. This condition is called uremia. If you are only drinking seawater, your body will become contaminated by the seawater. You will feel weak and tired. If left untreated, you will die. If you are happen to find medical treatment at this late stage of kidney failure, your kidneys may never function again. You will need a transplant or to undergo dialysis, which is when you use a special machine to filter your blood of wastes. Many patients who use dialysis must do so on a daily basis.