salt water

[jcgoff]

Can someone please help me understand why you can not drink salt water if it were life and death sitcution?

[Gunfixr]

It's just too much salt. Like anything else, too much can kill you.

[Christian for Israel]

the salt content causes an involuntary vomit reflex, not only depriving you of the water but also anything else you have eaten. that said, you CAN use a solar still to remove the salt and minerals, the pic below shows one dug into the ground but you can also use a washtub or other container. to build one, put an inch of salt water in the tub abd place a container to catch the clean water in the center. next drape a sheet of dark plastic over the top and put a weighted object in the center, then secure the edges of the plastic to the tub. finally place it in the sun and wait several hours.

what happens is the sun's heat causes the water to evaporate, leaving all the impurities behind. the evaporated moisture strikes the plastic and condenses. as the condensation builds drops of water form and run down the sloping plastic to the center, over the fresh water container, eventually dripping into it. given the right conditions one of these stills can produce a couple liters of fresh water a day. moist dirt can produce a liter or more as well and you can even dump contaminated water into dirt and get the same effect.

[FN64]

Here's a good read on the effects of drinking salt water & why you shouldn't-oughta :shock:
http://drinkingwater.ezguide2.com/artic ... t-allowed/ (http://drinkingwater.ezguide2.com/articles/why-is-drinking-salt-water-not-allowed/)

FN

[jcgoff]

Cool guys thanks for the info now i know why we cant drink salt water.

[Centuryhouse]

That's a great solar still pictorial. I remember seeing something similar in one of dad's "American Survival" magazines when I was a kid in the mid 80s (WAAAAY BACK!!)

I do keep plastic sheeting in the house, I should add some to the bag.

[Christian for Israel]

contractor grade garbage bags and shower curtain liners work well for this.

[mindes]

Les Stroud did this exact same thing recently on Survivorman with his own urine.

[Christian for Israel]

gross...

but it should work, no problem.

[karlsgunbunker]

Learned that one in Scouts.

I read that if you mix Sea Water and fresh water in the right ratio it is better for you than fresh water alone.
I just don't remember the ratio. DOHHHHH

[ptannjr]

very cool info. thanks for sharing

[RobTzu]

Osmosis. When a solution is seperated by a Semipermeable membrane some interesting things can happen. If one side is fresh water, and the other is salt water the water from the fresh water side will flow into it. This is why gargling salt water helps a sore throat. The water in your throat cells flow out into the salt water, lessing the swelling. As the article mentioned, your kidneys work by osmosis also. If you were to put pure Water into your blood stream, you would burst your blood cells(they contain salt too). That is why IVs use .154 Molar NaCl in water solution. If it were less salty then your blood cells would shrink.

Your whole body has cells with electrolytes in them. Flooding your body with salt will make those cells leak water out. That is why you will dehydrate.