If sailors did pee in their barrels of sea/salt water, what was the chemical reaction in making the water drinkable?
2006-06-15 09:25:06 · 8 answers · asked by dc 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
Okay little shaver...whoever told you this is pulling your leg. The next step is to get you to 'experiment' don't do it or you'll be known as a pee drinker for the rest of your life. There is a famous quote about sailors adrift without drinking water "water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink" it doesn't say "Here willy pee in me mug I gots me a terrible thirst to slack"
2006-06-15 09:29:25 · answer #1 · answered by der_grosse_e 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Would you drink that? Neither would the sailors. Although they did have a place to pee, it wasn't the water supply.
What they did do with the water was they would mix a measure of rum or other alcohol to kill the bacteria and kill the foul taste of it. This would make the water drinkable, and it would give the sailors a reason to ration their rum on long voyages. This brew was called 'grog.' Peeing in it would have been considered punishment to a sailor and was probably used by one or two on their prisoners.
2006-06-16 14:46:36 · answer #2 · answered by Robert S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While I've never heard of this practice, there might be a little bit of truth to it -
If you were shipwrecked and had no freshwater, your urine would be a better source of drinkable water than sea water because it has a lower salt content. So possibly if sailors ran out of fresh water, they could dilute sea water with their own urine to make it less salty and prevent dehydration for a few more days.
Urine, when diluted, can help fertilize crops. It can also be used to neutralize jellyfish stings.
2006-06-15 18:16:05 · answer #3 · answered by jawajames 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a suggestion that fresh water could be mixed with salt water (at least 3 to 1 fresh to salt). The sodium in the salt water causes water retention, and so it would stretch the fresh water supply. Obviously, this is not a long term prospect.
2006-06-15 09:39:02 · answer #4 · answered by aboukir200 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont know if they did that but you can drink your urine..without the salt...it is sanatary even though it sounds gross...
2006-06-15 09:29:05 · answer #5 · answered by Emily 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
eww i dont think so it seems like a mith or something
2006-06-15 10:08:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh I hope they didn't have to. If you want to try it out, let us know.
2006-06-15 09:59:19 · answer #7 · answered by pj 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
eeeeeeyyyyyyooooooooo! Don't know the answer.
(Really?)
2006-06-15 09:29:13 · answer #8 · answered by Adi ♪♫ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋