What Drinking Saltwater From the Ocean Does to the Human Body

In a quenching TED-Ed Lesson written by chemical engineer Manish Kumar and animated by Vitalii Nebelskyi, narratorAddison Andersonexplains what happens to the human body when saltwater from the ocean is ingested.

Consuming enough seawater without any freshwater can lead to salt poisoning. The effects can be devastating as the body's cells lose water and contract. This can cause tissues to shift and rupture and fluids to collect in critical organs.

He also talks about steps that are being taken to desalinate ocean water and provide fresh water to communities around the world. This includes desalination plants, reverse osmosis, and filtration systems that make seawater and wastewater potable.

As of 2022, the world's largest desalination plant turned over 2 billion liters of saltwater into drinkable freshwater every day using mostly thermal technology. But this method has drawbacks. ...Many see more promise in reverse osmosis, which nowadays uses synthetic membranes to filter out salt and other impurities. Overall, it's more energy-efficient and less briny than thermal desalination. ...Meanwhile, another body of water appears promising in combating water scarcity: wastewater. Reverse osmosis membranes actually require less energy to remove contaminants.

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