What are your opinions about the woman who died from drinking too much water?

Question

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/17/radio.death.reut.1836.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Answer 1

That was totally bizarre....Water!....Never in a million years would I ever thought I would hear that news title.......

Answer 2

The radio station (or anyone who arranges things like contests) should have done the research (the risk was not a secret) and when it was aware of risks it should not have followed through with that particular contest.

It may not be reasonable to expect "any old body" to know about the risks, but anyone sponsoring such a contest should 1) know all risks and 2) not sponsor something that has such a serious risk.

They had the participants sign a waiver regarding risk, so they knew about it.

Answer 3

It's a sad story. These people organized this to be a fun occasion, and did not really know the true facts that drinking a lot of water at one time is a dangerous thing.

Answer 4

I think it is a sad situation. The radio station personalities should be prosecuted. After hearing a recap of what happened it is clear they are not the sharpest tools in the shed. The insurance company will be paying one big check to the family of this woman and rightfully so.

Answer 5

I was just thinking about asking that question myself!! Didn't someone on here ask a few days ago what could happen if someone drinks to much water or something along those lines?? Do you think it was her?? Or the D.J's?? I don't think they should be fired for it do you?? It is really sad tho' she was just trying to win some game for her 3 kids!! May she RIP!

Answer 6

I think this was really bad of the radio station.They did it for a publicity stunt. They should have researched this before putting peoples lives at risk.The radio station should pay for the cost of the funeral.

Answer 7

It is tragic for something as meaningless as a Wii.

I heard all 10 people involved with this were canned

Answer 8

SCARY!
who would have thought that you can get poisoned from water.. I mean seriously. water has like nothing in it! hydrogen and oxygen is all it is! It makes me want to be more careful about everything now.

Answer 9

How much 'research' would it have taken-?

To find this much info about the subject-?

My time,.....3 minutes TOPS, from finding, CCP, and sending. (including petting my cat in between keystrokes)


Water intoxication can be prevented by consuming water that is isotonic with water losses, but the exact concentration of electrolytes required is difficult to determine and fluctuates over time, and the greater the time period involved, the smaller the disparity that may suffice to produce electrolyte imbalance and water intoxication.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

"Consult a Doctor-?..... Monitor the people while they're doing this 'stunt'-?

It's pure negligence, perhaps borne of ignorance,... but, negligence,...it most certainly IS-! IMO


Water intoxication (also known as hyperhydration or water poisoning) is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by a very rapid intake of water.[1]

Physiology of water intoxication
Body fluids contain electrolytes (particularly sodium compounds, such as sodium chloride) in concentrations that must be held within very narrow limits. Water enters the body orally or intravenously and leaves the body primarily in the urine, sweat and by exhaled water vapour.

If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and a potentially dangerous shift in electrolyte balance occurs.

Most water intoxication is caused by hyponatremia, an overdilution of sodium in the blood plasma, which in turn causes an osmotic shift of water from extracellular fluid (outside of cells) to intracellular fluid (within cells).

The cells swell as a result of changes in osmotic pressure and may cease to function. When this occurs in the cells of the central nervous system and brain, water intoxication is the result.

Additionally, many other cells in the body may undergo cytolysis, wherein cell membranes that are unable to stand abnormal osmotic pressures rupture, killing the cells.

Initial symptoms typically include light-headedness, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, headache and/or malaise.

Plasma sodium levels below 100 mmol/L (2.3g/L) frequently result in cerebral edema, seizures, coma, and death within a few hours of drinking the excess water.

As with alcohol poisoning, the progression from mild to severe symptoms may occur rapidly as the water continues to enter the body from the intestines or intravenously.

A person with two healthy kidneys can excrete about 900ml (0.24 gal)/hr[2].

Consuming as little as 1.8 litres of water (0.48 gal) in a single sitting may prove fatal for a person adhering to a low-sodium diet, or 3 litres (0.79 gallons) for a person on a normal diet.

However, this must be modulated by potential water losses via other routes.

For example, a person who is perspiring heavily may lose 1 L/hr (0.26 gal) of water through perspiration alone, thereby raising the threshold for water intoxication. The problem is further complicated by the amount of electrolytes lost in urine or sweat, which is variable within a range controlled by the body's regulatory mechanisms.

Water intoxication can be prevented by consuming water that is isotonic with water losses, but the exact concentration of electrolytes required is difficult to determine and fluctuates over time, and the greater the time period involved, the smaller the disparity that may suffice to produce electrolyte imbalance and water intoxication.

Sodium is not the only mineral that can become overdiluted from excessive water intake.

Magnesium is also excreted in urine.

According to the National Institutes of Health, "magnesium deficiency can cause metabolic changes that may contribute to heart attacks and strokes."[3]

Intravenous magnesium is used in cardiac care units for cardiac arrhythmias.[4]

Much more info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

Answer 10

Poor lady. And she was a mother, too. Hopefully- somebody "out there" learned something from her experience... There's always hope.