Survival 101: The Essential Guide to Saving Your Own Life in a Disaster by Marcus Duke

Author:Marcus Duke
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Galleon Publishing
Published: 2012-09-03T06:00:00+00:00

What about Seawater?

Rainfall, rivers, lakes, streams, green edible vegetation and even seawater are all sources of potential hydration if you find yourself in a survival situation. We addressed fresh water purification through the use of household bleach or iodine in an earlier section. Seawater cannot, however, be consumed unless you have desalinated the water first.

Seawater or saltwater contains up to three times the amount of sodium that the human body contains. If you consume saltwater as a means to survive, you will have made a fatal mistake.

Once your body takes in saltwater it will begin flushing all fluids from cells in an attempt rid the body of the massive amounts of sodium. Urination is how the body tries to rid itself of large amounts of sodium. Your cells will soon be depleted of all fluids, and your kidneys will not be able to handle the task. Once the cells and organs have lost 15 percent or more of their fluids, they begin to fail. Trying to avoid urination will NOT prevent your body from flushing fluids from its cells.

So let me repeat this: do not drink untreated seawater, you will die!

However, there are two primary ways seawater can be made safe to drink while in an extreme survival situation. One involves boiling seawater and collecting the steam, which is purified/distilled water. The other method is using a solar distiller. Both methods rely on evaporation. Only pure water evaporates, leaving sodium and other contaminates in the seawater.

To desalinate seawater by boiling you will need a pot to boil water in, fire to boil water with, a small collection container such as a glass, a piece of clear plastic sheeting and two small weights.

1. Place the collection cup with a weight in the bottom in the center of the pot.

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