Gaza during the war... How dangerous is drinking sea water?

Weather of Arabia - When the sun rises every morning, residents begin their journey towards the water desalination plant in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, carrying an empty plastic bottle known locally as a “gallon.” He joins rows of people waiting for long hours in front of the station, and these rows are interspersed with many cars and buggies.

This daily routine reflects the story of the steadfastness and suffering that the people of Gaza have been facing for weeks since Israel declared war on the Strip. All electricity and water supplies were cut off, the crossings were closed, and violent raids were launched, resulting in the death of thousands of people and the injury of others. Currently, the Strip is suffering from a stifling water crisis. Due to power outages and the inability to operate electricity generators due to running out of fuel.

Water desalination plants are operating partly due to the electricity crisis, and residents are unable to operate underground wells for the same reason, and things are getting worse due to the unavailability of water transport vehicles. Due to running out of fuel, many displaced people are forced to drink salty and polluted water, which increases their vulnerability to diseases and epidemics. Some people mix salty water with desalinated water to increase its quantity in order to survive, but this procedure increases water pollution and can lead to diseases and epidemics.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior in Gaza on October 19, it was warned that citizens are drinking contaminated and undrinkable water, which poses a serious health threat and further exacerbates the health crisis in the Strip. So how dangerous is drinking sea water to human health?

The effect of seawater containing excess salts on the human body

Water is essential for all living organisms, including humans, as it represents an essential element for life. In addition, salts play an important role in human life as they contribute significantly to the performance of many body functions.

A person usually needs a moderate amount of salt daily, estimated at about 500 milligrams , which is equivalent to a quarter of a teaspoon. It is possible that some people need more amounts based on their lifestyle, genetics, and environment. For example, there are many Americans who eat larger amounts. From 3500 mg of salt daily.

Salt is a compound resulting from the interaction of sodium and chlorine, and is known by the scientific name “sodium chloride.” Salt plays a prominent role in human digestive and respiratory processes and its percentage in the blood is about 0.9 percent , and it constitutes about 0.25 percent of the human body weight . Without the presence of salt, it becomes difficult The body must transport food and oxygen, as well as transmit nerve signals and move muscles, including the heart muscle.

As for sea water, it contains many salts other than table salt , such as Epsom salt, potassium salts, and iodine salts, and is characterized by its bitter and acidic taste. While scientific standards consider drinking water to be that which contains 1,000 parts per million of dissolved salts, i.e. 0.1 percent . Of the volume of water , seawater typically contains 1 percent dissolved salts, and in some cases up to 3.5 percent , three times the salinity concentration in human blood.

Accordingly, consuming seawater is considered unsafe for the human body , regardless of its extreme salinity and acidic taste. This excess salinity leads to the loss of water from the body’s cells, which can cause them to dry out and die. When the blood carries this high salinity to the kidneys, it may They are not able to deal with it effectively, which leads to the loss of kidney function. Therefore, it is difficult for the body to get rid of that excess salt, which you usually get rid of through sweating and excreting urine. Therefore, the solution is to desalinate seawater to get rid of the excess salt content and ensure its safe use. .

Also know:

Dehydration, methods of treating it, and how to prevent it

Groundwater detection methods

Sources:

almanar

alrai

aljazeera