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There is a time in every person's life
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when drinking water is deadly.
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Even as much as a few ounces is enough to kill.
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The average healthy adult is made up of 55 to 60% water.
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The average baby, on the other hand, is roughly 75% water.
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And that difference is why babies shouldn't drink water
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before they're at least six months old.
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Not from the tap or a well or a spring.
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Plain water is just plain off limits.
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You see, everyone's kidneys have a limit
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to how much water they can handle.
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Break that limit, and the excess water
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will back up into your bloodstream,
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where it dilutes the salt, or sodium, in your blood.
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Once your blood dips below 0.4 ounces of sodium per gallon,
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you're at risk of a condition called Hyponatremia.
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It happens when your cells try to return sodium levels
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to normal by absorbing the extra water
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and swell up like a water balloon in the process,
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causing complications like confusion,
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vomiting and muscle spasms.
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Hyponatremia is common in marathon runners
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who drink too much too fast during a race
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without also providing enough sodium
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to balance out their blood.
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And if you keep drinking, that excess water
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will eventually reach the cells in your brain.
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By this point, you have a dangerous case
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of water intoxication, which affects
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roughly 200,000 Americans each year.
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It occurs when your brain cells swell,
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which builds up pressure inside your skull
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that can lead to seizures, brain damage,
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and, in severe cases, death.
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But don't worry, dying from water intoxication
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is extremely hard for a fully-grown human.
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An adult would have to drink 2.5 to 5 gallons
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every few hours to reach that point.
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But for newborns, it's a different story.
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Their kidneys are about half the size of an adult's,
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so they can't hold much water to begin with.
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And it takes just a few ounces to cause problems.
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On top of that, their kidneys aren't developed enough yet
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to properly filter water, so any water
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that enters their body ends up in the circulatory system,
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where it dilutes their blood
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and increases their water content by 7 to 8%.
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But it's not just drinking straight H2O
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that poses a threat.
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In fact, most cases of water intoxication in infants
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don't even involve a glass of water.
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A common mistake is when people dilute baby formula
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too much by accident, or when parents
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dunk their infants up and down in a swimming pool,
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and in the process the infant gulps in too much water.
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It's important that if your baby
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is showing signs of water intoxication
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that you take them to the hospital immediately,
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where a doctor will likely provide some form of fluids
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like intravenous saline solution
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to bring the infant's sodium levels up to normal.