How many people die annually from too much water?
Microbiologically contaminated drinking water can transmit diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio and is estimated to cause 485 000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.
How rare is death by drinking too much water?
As the authors of one study report, out of 488 participants in the 2002 Boston Marathon, 13% had hyponatremia symptoms, and 0.06% had critical hyponatremia, with sodium levels of less than 120 mmol/l. Instances of water intoxication at these events have resulted in death.
Is 1 gallon of water a day too much?
Can drinking a gallon of water a day be harmful? For most people, there is really no limit for daily water intake and a gallon a day is not harmful. But for those who have congestive heart failure or end stage kidney disease, sometimes water needs to be restricted because the body can't process it correctly.
Is 3l of water a day too much?
While drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) daily may help you meet your needs, it isn't necessary for everyone. In fact, drinking too much water can be dangerous. To ensure you're staying hydrated, drink when you feel thirsty and always listen to your body.
Overview
Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by excessive water intake.
Under normal circumstances, accidentally consuming too much water is exce…
Risk factors
It can be very easy for children under one year old (especially those under nine months) to absorb too much water. Because of their small body mass, it is easy for them to take in a large amount of water relative to body mass and total body sodium stores.
Marathon runners are susceptible to water intoxication if they drink too much while running. This is caused when sodium levels drop below 135 mmol/L when athletes consume large amounts of fl…
Pathophysiology
At the onset of this condition, fluid outside the cells has an excessively low amount of solutes, such as sodium and other electrolytes, in comparison to fluid inside the cells, causing the fluid to move into the cells to balance its osmotic concentration. This causes the cells to swell. The swelling increases intracranial pressure in the brain, which leads to the first observable symptoms of water intoxication: headache, personality changes, changes in behavior, confusion, irritability, …
Prevention
Water intoxication can be prevented if a person's intake of water does not grossly exceed their losses. Healthy kidneys are able to excrete approximately 800 millilitres to 1 litre of fluid water (0.84–1.04 quarts) per hour. However, stress (from prolonged physical exertion), as well as disease states, can greatly reduce this amount.
Treatment
Mild intoxication may remain asymptomatic and require only fluid restriction. In more severe cases, treatment consists of:
• Diuretics to increase urination, which are most effective for excess blood volume.
• Vasopressin receptor antagonists
Notable cases
• 1097: During the First Crusade, according to at least one chronicle, many crusaders died after drinking too much from a river while marching to Antioch.
• 1991, Andy Warhol: Five years after his death, Warhol's family publicly accused the hospital where he had his gallbladder removed of causing his death by water intoxication administered post-operatively. A claimed autopsy weight of 68 kg (150 lb), with his weight being 58 kg (128 lb) when admitted, was cited as evidence tha…
See also
• Dehydration
• Drowning
• Hyperkalemia / Hypokalemia
• Hypermagnesemia / Hypomagnesemia
• Hypernatremia / Hyponatremia
Overview
Drinking-Water Services
- Sustainable Development Goal target 6.1 calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water. The target is tracked with the indicator of “safely managed drinking water services” – drinking water from an improved water source that is located on premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination. In 2020, 5.8 bi…
Water and Health
- Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks. This is particularly the case in health care facilities where both patients and staff are placed at addition…
Economic and Social Effects
- When water comes from improved and more accessible sources, people spend less time and effort physically collecting it, meaning they can be productive in other ways. This can also result in greater personal safety and reducing musculoskeletal disorders by reducing the need to make long or risky journeys to collect and carry water. Better water sources also mean less expenditur…
Challenges
- Historical rates of progress would need to double for the world to achieve universal coverage with basic drinking water services by 2030. To achieve universal safely managed services, rates would need to quadruple. Climate change, increasing water scarcity, population growth, demographic changes and urbanization already pose challenges for water supply systems. Over 2 billion peop…
Who's Response
- As the international authority on public health and water quality, WHO leads global efforts to prevent water-related disease, advising governments on the development of health-based targets and regulations. WHO produces a series of water quality guidelines, including on drinking-water, safe use of wastewater, and recreational water quality. The water quality guidelines are based o…