Re: Salt

Hara Ra (harara@shamanics.com)
Wed, 07 Jan 1998 22:22:34 -0800


Robin Helweg-Larsen wrote:

> Anyone know the validity of the story that drinking seawater makes you crazy?
> Do people survive on a raft by drinking seawater, or do they have to catch
> rainwater? Maybe not drinking enough (sea)water makes them crazy?

Seawater is about 3% salt, and the kidneys have a limit of about 1% salt
excreted into the urine. Drinking seawater results in dehydration, and
if you are already dehydrated, the result is kidney failure and the
accumulated waste in the blood causes a lot of problems, including
delirium.

O----------------------------------O
| Hara Ra <harara@shamanics.com> |
| Box 8334 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 |
O----------------------------------O