10 Interesting Ways Water Can Kill You

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

Chinese Water Torture

During Chinese water torture, the victim endures slowly dripped water on their forehead which makes them go literally insane. This form of water torture was invented in 1451 by the Italian Hippolytus de Marsiliis after he observed how water drops falling one by one on a stone progressively established a hollow, thus he was inspired to apply it to humans.

The victims were tied in a position in which they cannot move, then warm or cold water was dripped very slowly on a small area of the body. The forehead happened to be the most suitable point due to its high sensitivity and so tortured people could see every single drop coming. After long durations, they were gradually driven crazy.

Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the movements of an immense volume of water. Such waves can travel over 800 kilometers (500 mph) per hour! The potential generators of a tsunami include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteorite impacts, glacier calving, and other disturbances either below or above water.

Even though the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal locations, their huge destructive power can even affect entire ocean basins. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, with more than 230,000 deaths in 14 countries.

Water Poisoning

Water intoxication, also known as dilutional hyponatremia, is a potentially deadly disturbance in brain functions that’s caused by over-hydration. Accidental consumption of too much water is exceptionally rare under normal circumstances.

Almost all water-related deaths in normal people were from drinking contests or long bouts of intensive exercise. There is also a method of torture called water cure, in which the victim is forced to drink excessive amounts of water, which results in water intoxication.

Just like any other substance, water can also be considered as a poison when over-consumed in a certain period of time. In 2003, Walter Dean Jennings died while signing into a campus fraternity, as he was forced to drink gallons of water through a funnel which resulted in brain swelling from water intoxication and then death.