Terminal dehydration

The thirst referred to death by lack of fluid intake of fresh water. Death occurs by advanced dehydration a ( dehydration ).

The daily water needs of a human is - depending on ambient temperature and physical activity - at least one liter. From a water loss of the human body by 0.5-3 per cent of the person affected feels thirsty. From ten percent it comes to speech, and unsteady gait. Within three to four days usually occurs a death by dehydration. This period is, however, extremely temperature dependent. Examples are reports of tourists who died of thirst in the desert areas within a single hot day, and called on shipwrecked or swept away by floods that survived ten days without water at cooler temperatures.

The body needs water in both the blood - vessels for the transport of nutrients and respiratory gases as well as in the cells to maintain the metabolism and thermoregulation.

Dehydration is a major problem in arid zones, see water crisis. Dehydration due to non availability of drinking water is a life-threatening danger after ( natural) disasters such as flood, earthquakes, explosions after spillage (eg mines).