10 Interesting Ways Water Can Kill You

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

The human body contains up to 75% of water and requires up to 2 liters of water a day to avoid dehydration and function properly. Obviously, water is a fundamental part of the human life. However, under certain circumstances, water can kill you in a variety of interesting ways.

Check out these 10 unexpected ways in which water can kill you:

Hypothermia

Hypothermia occurs when your body’s temperature drops under the needed temperature for normal metabolism and body functions. As body temperature lowers, symptoms such as shivering and mental confusion would begin to emerge.

What may surprise you is that the heat is lost more rapidly in water than on land, simply because the water temperature that is normal as land temperature can lead to hypothermia.

For example, a water temperature of 50°F (10°C) can lead to death in just one hour, while a freezing temperature can lead to death in just 15 minutes.

Scalding

Scalding is when your skin comes in contact with heated fluids like boiling water. The majority of scalds are considered 1st or 2nd-degree burns, but 3rd or even 4th-degree burns can result in death, especially with prolonged contact.

This principle is used as an execution method in which a person is boiled to death in a large vessel. Executions of this type have been used in many parts of Asia and Europe. The victim is either placed in the large vessel before the water was heated or plunged head first into the boiling water, depending on the cruelty level.

Protracted scalding would result in a complete breakdown of subcutaneous fat, and the muscles would be exposed, leading to rupture in major veins and arteries. Surprisingly, scolding deaths can occasionally occur when individuals underestimate the temperature of a natural hot spring and enthusiastically decide to go swimming.

Waterborne Disease

Waterborne diseases are caused by the microorganisms transmitted in contaminated fresh water. Infections often occur during the preparation of food, washing, drinking, or bathing. The most prominent examples are the forms of the waterborne diarrheal disease, which mainly affect children in developing countries and cause about 1.8 million deaths every year.