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Effects of Water Loss
| The importance of water for life can be illustrated using
this table. Keep in mind that the human body by weight is approximately 60% water. |
| So if we consider someone who weighs either 100 pounds or 150 pounds,
about 60 or 90 pounds of that is water. Now if these people were to lose anywhere from 3
to 4½ pounds of water, they would start to exhibit signs of heat exhaustion. If they were
to lose 6 or 9 pounds of water, they would be unable to stand. Salivation would stop and
their speech would become slurred and difficult. Losing 12-18 pounds of water, about 20%
of the total, would cause delirium, coma and death. |
| Effects of Water Loss |
| Body weight |
100 lbs |
150 lbs |
|
| Water weight |
60 |
90 |
|
| Water loss |
3 |
4½ |
heat exhaustion |
| " |
6 |
9 |
incapacitation |
| " |
12 |
18 |
delirium, coma, death |
|
| If this seems like a lot of water to lose, keep in mind that
someone who is fasting can lose this much water in only a few days, and an active athlete
can lose this much water in a single day. |
I think you can see that water is a very important biological compound even though it
is not considered to be an organic or biochemical compound.
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E-mail instructor:
Sue Eggling
Clackamas Community College
©2001, 2003 Clackamas Community College, Hal Bender
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