NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6261509.stm

This has to be teh stupid.

Drinking water in a contest until you die from water intoxication (and I don't mean drowning) strikes me as peculiarly stupid.

I wonder if her kids learned a valuable lesson - after all, she said she was "doing it for her kids".

No Darwin award here - she's already reproduced.

Would you risk it for a game console?

These two idiots, however, could be nominated for a Darwin:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/13/ntube113.xml

Running away from authorities, straight into a tube train. Teh stupid.

Would you risk death to escape the authorities after committing a very minor crime (spraying graffiti)?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6261509.stm

This has to be teh stupid.

Drinking water in a contest until you die from water intoxication (and I don't mean drowning) strikes me as peculiarly stupid.

I wonder if her kids learned a valuable lesson - after all, she said she was "doing it for her kids".

No Darwin award here - she's already reproduced.

Would you risk it for a game console?
Water intoxication? Wow. Lot of water there. I'd certainly have taken part in that contest, though perhaps more due to ignorance of the fact that it could kill me rather than in an irrational decision to try to win anyway.

Drinking water in a contest until you die from water intoxication (and I don't mean drowning) strikes me as peculiarly stupid.

Would you risk it for a game console?

I hate to say this, but.. I've entered (ach, whom am I kidding - initiated) such a contest, and what's probably worse, I've not done it for a game console, but for..fun. And fun it was, up to a certain point. After that point, not so much. Don't try this at home, kids.

If you've ever been to Rancho Cordova you'd understand how this could have happened...not a collection of the best and the brightest...(I grew up in Sacramento County, and am clearly bitter about it...)

Foolish fool!

They should have had lots and lots of crisps to sort it out.

The Wii is not a video game. It is a console that you play the games on.

They should get charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide.

They should get charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide.

Not womanslaughter?

Oh dear. I didn't think that was possible with non-distilled water...

Any one know how much water she actually drank?
If she was smart she wouldn't have drank anything the day before

If this is going to happen we should just have them fight as gladitors in fights to the death as at least we will be amused. *Nods head*

You'd think the fuckwits at the station would've known that this was dangerous, but unfortunately wisdom does not noticeably grace our media industry. Anyone with a decent knowledge of how the body works would know that DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IN A SHORT TIME CAN KILL YOU!

Personally, I wouldn't mind them getting sued out of their asses and driven in to bankruptcy for such blatant stupidity...of course, I imagine the marketing geniuses behind this probably had them sign waivers, since that's standard practice.

Well, I though sitting out in the cold for a PS3 was dumb.

Anyone with a decent knowledge of how the body works would know that DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IN A SHORT TIME CAN KILL YOU!

Really, I've never heard of dying of too much water before. I don't think it happens that often.

Oh dear. I didn't think that was possible with non-distilled water...

I don't think it really would matter, actually; bottled water is usually pretty devoid of electrolytes to begin with, and even if it does have them it still isn't enough to compensate for the critical imbalance that would form from drinking too much water in so short a time.

Not womanslaughter?

Those sexist capitalist pigs!:upyours:

You'd think the fuckwits at the station would've known that this was dangerous, but unfortunately wisdom does not noticeably grace our media industry. Anyone with a decent knowledge of how the body works would know that DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IN A SHORT TIME CAN KILL YOU!

Personally, I wouldn't mind them getting sued out of their asses and driven in to bankruptcy for such blatant stupidity...of course, I imagine the marketing geniuses behind this probably had them sign waivers, since that's standard practice.If I am correct their was a rather brutual form of torture were they would drip water down someone's through into their stomarch exploded or your body just shut off.

Really, I've never heard of dying of too much water before. I don't think it happens that often.

It doesn't happen often, but is still a major risk; if you're going to have a contest, you usually look in to things like this before you do it.

Anyone who does exercise for extended periods (like runners) would probably know that drinking only water when exercising can be dangerous. That's why they usually hand out things like Gatorade rather than water during athletic competitions, precisely because of this risk. Of course, too much of anything can kill you; you would think that at least is common sense, but obviously not. This is so dumb, I can't even put it in to words.

I bet the idiots who thought this up were like "Hurrr, it's water...you can't die from drinking too much water".

If I am correct their was a rather brutual form of torture were they would drip water down someone's through into their stomarch exploded or your body just shut off.

Yep, it's called (euphemistically) the "water cure", and was popular in 17th century France as a torture method. Quite brutal by any stretch of the imagination, especially considering that it was repeated after you came to.

Really, I've never heard of dying of too much water before. I don't think it happens that often.

Too much of anything can kill you.

Any one know how much water she actually drank?
If she was smart she wouldn't have drank anything the day before

That would be a really unsmart thing to do. Depriving yourself of water and then drinking obscene amounts in one sitting will make you vomit out your stomach lining.

Too much of anything can kill you.

Too much porn, even?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6261509.stm

This has to be teh stupid.

Drinking water in a contest until you die from water intoxication (and I don't mean drowning) strikes me as peculiarly stupid.

I wonder if her kids learned a valuable lesson - after all, she said she was "doing it for her kids".

No Darwin award here - she's already reproduced.

Would you risk it for a game console?


Not Hardly

Too much porn, even?

Heart attack? Autoerotic asphyxiation?

That would be a really unsmart thing to do. Depriving yourself of water and then drinking obscene amounts in one sitting will make you vomit out your stomach lining.

Thats only if you have no food. And even then it isn't too bad. And they were only given 1 cup evey 15 minutes.

Heart attack? Autoerotic asphyxiation?

:eek: :(

Thats only if you have no food. And even then it isn't too bad. And they were only given 1 cup evey 15 minutes.

That's a lot of water in so short a time, and it was getting progressively larger as time passed.

I mean, the minimum recommended amount of water per day is eight to ten eight ounce glasses (or roughly 2.5L). They were drinking that amount in two hours, with no food and nothing to balance their electrolytes.

:eek: :(

You see now that you are putting your health at risk every time you watch porn, don't you. ;)

:eek: :(

Look at it this way: You died loving yourself. Shame about the obituary, however...

If you've ever been to Rancho Cordova you'd understand how this could have happened...not a collection of the best and the brightest...(I grew up in Sacramento County, and am clearly bitter about it...)

Yeah, I agree...the people I see/know who live in Rancho somtimes really seem like they're too dumb to exist.... I live in Sacramento, and while I enjoy the city, all the suburbs piss me off.

EDIT: For the record, I wouldn't enter such a contest... especially not one held by that radio station. I wouldn't trust it. Also, I'm cool off the Wii in general. Doesn't appeal.

I wonder how many people who are heaping the scorn really would have known that this contest would have resulted in death before hand.

If they where honest with themselves...(don't bother trying to convince me you would have, it's not really worth it...)

Yeah, I agree...the people I see/know who live in Rancho somtimes really seem like they're too dumb to exist.... I live in Sacramento, and while I enjoy the city, all the suburbs piss me off.

I came from the 'burbs (sort of, Folsom) and I hate the whole place. 110 degrees in the summers? Fuck that noise...and then there is the meth addicts...

I wonder how many people who are heaping the scorn really would have known that this contest would have resulted in death before hand.

The woman? I don't scorn her at all; it's a tragedy that she died and it isn't her fault by any stretch of the imagination.

But the station? They deserve as much contempt as possible; they are responsible for the health and safety of those people, and have no excuse for not knowing the risks involved in something like these. Whenever you're doing anything of this sort, you always check beforehand to make sure it is safe and there is no unacceptable risk of injury/death to the participants; I mean, something like this has an inherent risk of injury or death built in to it, and it's little more than negligence that they would even consider it. I mean, if it were an alcohol binge drinking contest, it wouldn't even get the time of day.

Really, I've never heard of dying of too much water before. I don't think it happens that often.

it's one of the main things that kill people who take MDMA, due to them being "too carefull" about rehydrating and they end up poisoning themselves. 1 pint per hour i think is the recommended maximum if your taking E.

I came from the 'burbs (sort of, Folsom) and I hate the whole place. 110 degrees in the summers? Fuck that noise...and then there is the meth addicts...

Yeah, the heat is a bit extreme... I'm down with the noise, though, it makes muysic in my head. Well, sometimes, anyway.

And I got nothing against the methheads. They can be quite nice people, some of them. Or they can be people who will rip you off and/or mug you as soon as they meet you.

And also, I heap scorn, and do know about water intoxication... a friend of mine was talking about it when I drank like...three bottles of water in a row on acid...just fucking around, but it got me to read up a little.

EDIT: he was talking about it in reference to some Australian chicks (I think) who died cause they tried to rehydrate themselves too well on MDMA. THanks to IR for helping me recall.

it's one of the main things that kill people who take MDMA, due to them being "too carefull" about rehydrating and they end up poisoning themselves. 1 pint per hour i think is the recommended maximum if your taking E.

If only the Radio station owners had done E....

If only the Radio station owners had done E....

Or ran...or exercised in general, for that matter.

Methinks yall are being a little too harsh on the radio station.

Most average people aren't going to be able to tell you off the top of their heads that you CAN over hydrate (although, they probably would find it a reasonable assumption). The only reason I know is because I used to be a cross country runner.

There are far more dangerous things that a radio station could (and have) sponsored. They certainly don't deserve to be sued for it.

Methinks yall are being a little too harsh on the radio station.

Most average people aren't going to be able to tell you off the top of their heads that you CAN over hydrate (although, they probably would find it a reasonable assumption). The only reason I know is because I used to be a cross country runner.

That's no excuse though. If you don't know the risks of the competition beforehand, you shouldn't even holding it in the first place.

Ignorance is no excuse for negligence, and there is absolutely no justifiable reason for that station to have any kind of competition without first looking in to the risks beforehand. That's a basic legal and ethical rule for any host of any competition, no matter what it is. I mean, this woman was killed...not injured, killed.

There are far more dangerous things that a radio station could (and have) sponsored. They certainly don't deserve to be sued for it.

A company can be sued for someone getting injured due to a wet floor being improperly labeled. Surely killing someone due to negligence is grounds for a lawsuit?

You'd think the fuckwits at the station would've known that this was dangerous, but unfortunately wisdom does not noticeably grace our media industry. Anyone with a decent knowledge of how the body works would know that DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IN A SHORT TIME CAN KILL YOU!

Personally, I wouldn't mind them getting sued out of their asses and driven in to bankruptcy for such blatant stupidity...of course, I imagine the marketing geniuses behind this probably had them sign waivers, since that's standard practice.They told contestants that they shouldn't continue if they felt ill. That's a fairly good disclaimer there. However they should have given the contestants the once over before they let them leave. And probably induced vomiting would have been a good idea.

That would be a really unsmart thing to do. Depriving yourself of water and then drinking obscene amounts in one sitting will make you vomit out your stomach lining.Death or loss of stomach lining. I think there's a clear preference here. I'm surprised she didn't vomit at all if she drank that much water.

They told contestants that they shouldn't continue if they felt ill. That's a fairly good disclaimer there. However they should have given the contestants the once over before they let them leave. And probably induced vomiting would have been a good idea.

Really, they shouldn't be holding a contest where death is a possibility. I mean, this goes way beyond the reasonable risk associated with any competition.

This is tragic, but is also the first time I have ever heard of "water intoxication."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243617,00.html

For all you FOX haters, this us an AP story. :rolleyes:

Really, they shouldn't be holding a contest where death is a possibility. I mean, this goes way beyond the reasonable risk associated with any competition.Okay, so that's motor racing out the window, as is horse racing, soccer, rugby, darts, baseball, marathons, any xtreme sport, diving... hmm... has anyone ever died from boxing? I don't think so. Okay, so they only sport left is boxing. Fun. :)

Risk is inherrent to everything. What I think you mean is that they shouldn't have held a competition which they haven't properly risk-assessed, nor properly informed the contestants of any associated risks.

It's only politics where us lefties don't trust Faux News. ;)

I've heard of water-intoxication before, apparently the first reported MDMA related death in the UK was caused by drinking too much water.

These two idiots, however, could be nominated for a Darwin:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/13/ntube113.xml

Running away from authorities, straight into a tube train. Teh stupid.

Would you risk death to escape the authorities after committing a very minor crime (spraying graffiti)?

I darted between a Ford Excursion and a school bus to dodge cops after not doing anything illegal... kids can be dumb sometimes.

Afterwards I heard they thought we were smoking up, because one guy decided death wasn't better then having to talk to them.

That's a lot of water in so short a time, and it was getting progressively larger as time passed.

I mean, the minimum recommended amount of water per day is eight to ten eight ounce glasses (or roughly 2.5L). They were drinking that amount in two hours, with no food and nothing to balance their electrolytes.

"Contestants were first given eight ounce (225 millilitre) bottles to drink every 15 minutes.

Contestant James Ybarra told Associated Press news agency: "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk."

Mr Ybarra said he quit after five bottles but remaining contestants started on larger bottles. "

So she died after drinking 5 x 225ml bottles? Or 1.125 litres of water? That's about two and a half pints. Something seems a tad fishy here.

Okay, so that's motor racing out the window, as is horse racing, soccer, rugby, darts, baseball, marathons, any xtreme sport, diving... hmm... has anyone ever died from boxing? I don't think so. Okay, so they only sport left is boxing. Fun. :)

They're not equivalent. The risk there is not a direct outcome of the sport itself, whereas drinking a ton of water can directly lead to death. This is more like binge drinking or huffing gasoline than baseball. The act itself leads to injury or death.

So she died after drinking 5 x 225ml bottles? Or 1.125 litres of water? That's about two and a half pints. Something seems a tad fishy here.

She drank more, which is what the guy said; he stopped at 5. And not only that, but the bottles got larger as time went on so the effect was even more severe.

However, you have to realize that 1.125 liters of water in a couple hours is a huge amount; you're supposed to drink 2.5 in an entire day, and that's with meals and other things in between. This is downing half of that with no food or anything to replenish electrolytes; it causes an imbalance so quickly and severely that it leads to injury or death.

"Contestants were first given eight ounce (225 millilitre) bottles to drink every 15 minutes.

Contestant James Ybarra told Associated Press news agency: "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk."

Mr Ybarra said he quit after five bottles but remaining contestants started on larger bottles. "

So she died after drinking 5 x 225ml bottles? Or 1.125 litres of water? That's about two and a half pints. Something seems a tad fishy here.

He quit. She kept on, and they started giving them larger bottles of water.

He quit. She kept on, and they started giving them larger bottles of water.

Ah. My mistake. Mea culpa.

She drank more, which is what the guy said; he stopped at 5. And not only that, but the bottles got larger as time went on so the effect was even more severe.

However, you have to realize that 1.125 liters of water in a couple hours is a huge amount; you're supposed to drink 2.5 in an entire day, and that's with meals and other things in between. This is downing half of that with no food or anything to replenish electrolytes; it causes an imbalance so quickly and severely that it leads to injury or death.

Actually that is not entirely true......if you are in the sun and more then averagely active then you are required to dring more water..... Like troops over in the Desert are required to drink 8 1.5L bottles a day. That is usually made palatable and required Electrolytes added through the use of Gatorade powder and other additives.

So the amount of water one needs in a given day depends on where you are, what your doing, and the temp. As you need almost as much water ate extreme cold temps as you do in extreme hot temps.

They're not equivalent. The risk there is not a direct outcome of the sport itself, whereas drinking a ton of water can directly lead to death. This is more like binge drinking or huffing gasoline than baseball. The act itself leads to injury or death.Nuh uh. You don't intend to die when you drink a large amount of water. You know you might if you drink too much. Same for motor racing. You don't intend to die in a crash, but if you lose control of the car you could crash and kill yourself. People climb high mountains and can die of... something... high altitude syndrome... with every step you take higher you increase your chance of dying. If you ascend slowly you're less likely to die. Would you insist that people not climb mountains? People always want to test their limits...

I forgot my point.

um... I think a drinking water competition is fine, but I believe that the radio station is at least partially responsible for the woman's death.

Actually that is not entirely true......if you are in the sun and more then averagely active then you are required to dring more water..... Like troops over in the Desert are required to drink 8 1.5L bottles a day. That is usually made palatable and required Electrolytes added through the use of Gatorade powder and other additives.

So the amount of water one needs in a given day depends on where you are, what your doing, and the temp. As you need almost as much water ate extreme cold temps as you do in extreme hot temps.

Well, of course; it varies depending on a number of factors. The minimum recommended intake is 2.5 liters per day, but it varies due to the things you mentioned.

What I was getting at more was that she was consuming a large amount of water that was almost equal to the recommended daily intake in a very short time without any electrolytes to accommodate that sudden increase. That's a recipe for disaster no matter what.

Nuh uh. You don't intend to die when you drink a large amount of water. You know you might if you drink too much. Same for motor racing. You don't intend to die in a crash, but if you lose control of the car you could crash and kill yourself. People climb high mountains and can die of... something... high altitude syndrome... with every step you take higher you increase your chance of dying. If you ascend slowly you're less likely to die. Would you insist that people not climb mountains? People always want to test their limits...

Yes, but radio contests don't have people climb mountains or race on a track for $300 game systems...there's a big difference. The people who do those things have training and specialized equipment. The thing is, however, that it isn't so much the contest itself as it is the fact that they did not take in to account the medical risks at all.

The blatant negligence of not providing drinks containing sufficient electrolytes is still completely inexcusable. That's as dangerous as forcing someone to compete in a race without helmet, protective cage or seatbelt.

um... I think a drinking water competition is fine, but I believe that the radio station is at least partially responsible for the woman's death.

It would be fine if they had used Gatorade or something like that which provides electrolytes to compensate; this was just plain negligent.

Yes, but radio contests don't have people climb mountains or race on a track for $300 game systems...there's a big difference. The people who do those things have training and specialized equipment. The thing is, however, that it isn't so much the contest itself as it is the fact that they did not take in to account the medical risks at all.

The blatant negligence of not providing drinks containing sufficient electrolytes is still completely inexcusable. That's as dangerous as forcing someone to compete in a race without helmet, protective cage or seatbelt.



It would be fine if they had used Gatorade or something like that which provides electrolytes to compensate; this was just plain negligent.


People should be smart enough to know what they are getting themselves into. We are all supposed to be adults and smart enough to check out the things we get ourselves involved in....... so I would think the woman is as much to blame as the radio station. Both should have checked out the dangers and while it is the radio stations job to set up safety, it is the persons responsibility to know thier own limits and to know the risks they are taking.

I think one problem with the US is the need for way too many warning labels due to blatant unnessecary lawsuits. IE: "contents may be hot" on coffee cup......"do not fold stroller with baby inside" on baby strollers ( who the heck did that to cause that label?)......"do not use curling iron in tub"......etc etc etc..... and we know most of these warning labels have been added because people are too stupid to use common sense.

This should be investigated......but while i am sorry this woman died.....she was an adult....and should have had been able to check out the same information as the radio station.

Actually, you can still win a darwin if you have reproduced.

People should be smart enough to know what they are getting themselves into. We are all supposed to be adults and smart enough to check out the things we get ourselves involved in....... so I would think the woman is as much to blame as the radio station. Both should have checked out the dangers and while it is the radio stations job to set up safety, it is the persons responsibility to know thier own limits and to know the risks they are taking.

That's true, but at the same time the radio station didn't even take basic safety precautions; I mean, the contestants should have been told about the risks inherent in doing this more clearly, and they should have been provided things to keep them healthy. This was definitely the radio station's fault


I think one problem with the US is the need for way too many warning labels due to blatant unnessecary lawsuits. IE: "contents may be hot" on coffee cup......"do not fold stroller with baby inside" on baby strollers ( who the heck did that to cause that label?)......"do not use curling iron in tub"......etc etc etc..... and we know most of these warning labels have been added because people are too stupid to use common sense.

Those I can agree with; those fall under more of a common sense line of reasoning. This is a little different because the competition itself was dangerous, and they didn't even take care of basic safety precautions.

This should be investigated......but while i am sorry this woman died.....she was an adult....and should have had been able to check out the same information as the radio station.

The main problem I have is that the station did not take the risks in to account; the contest itself involved a dangerous activity, and they did not manage the risks in the way they should have. Having a drinking contest with out providing electrolytes to prevent this condition (which should have been basic safety procedure) is just plain negligent.

That's true, but at the same time the radio station didn't even take basic safety precautions; I mean, the contestants should have been told about the risks inherent in doing this more clearly, and they should have been provided things to keep them healthy. This was definitely the radio station's fault




Those I can agree with; those fall under more of a common sense line of reasoning. This is a little different because the competition itself was dangerous, and they didn't even take care of basic safety precautions.



The main problem I have is that the station did not take the risks in to account; the contest itself involved a dangerous activity, and they did not manage the risks in the way they should have. Having a drinking contest with out providing electrolytes to prevent this condition (which should have been basic safety procedure) is just plain negligent.

Do you know all the set ups for the contest? DO you know the contestants were not provided information on the risks?
And as for it being risky......it is no riskier then anything else. To and including getting behind the wheel of your car at any time of the day. If a grown adult does not know there is risk in drinking vast amounts of water in a short period of time....then maybe that adult should have constant supervision..... the more we baby adults the more we make people to lazy to think for themselves and too lazy to use their own common sense.

Although they were stupid, the studio was also negligent. Someone could've also died from a burst bladder doing this.

Sad. Maybe now they'll know to add some pedialyte to the mix. Get your electrolytes without all the sugar that's in drinks like gatorade etc.

Jeez...how much water does one have to drink to incur this? What happened to the old-fashioned "Hands on the Prize" contests?

On the other hand, the only difference between this contest and what I did the night before my wedding is that no one got hurt doing what I did...namely, sticking as many Dum-Dums in my mouth as I could. My best friend won, with 30...and his record was shattered later on. Presently, it's 41.