Woman dies after water-drinking contest

[peejay 327]

Woman dies after water-drinking contest

Water intoxication eyed in ‘Hold Your Wee for a Wii’ contest death

Associated Press

9:24 p.m. CT Jan 13, 2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A woman who competed in a radio station’s contest to see how much water she could drink without going to the bathroom died of water intoxication, the coroner’s office said Saturday.

Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead Friday in her suburban Rancho Cordova home hours after taking part in the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest in which KDND 107.9 promised a Nintendo Wii video game system for the winner.

“She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad,” said Laura Rios, one of Strange’s co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento. “She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.”

It was not immediately know how much water Strange consumed.

A preliminary investigation found evidence “consistent with a water intoxication death,” said assistant Coroner Ed Smith.

John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the station’s owner, said station personnel were stunned when they heard of Strange’s death.

“We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred,” he said.

Initially, contestants were handed eight-ounce bottles of water to drink every 15 minutes.

“They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy,” said fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland. “They told us if you don’t feel like you can do this, don’t put your health at risk.”

Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. “My bladder couldn’t handle it anymore,” he added.

After he quit, he said, the remaining contestants, including Strange, were given even bigger bottles to drink.

“I was talking to her and she was a nice lady,” Ybarra said. “She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for kids.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16614865/

[Ladylethal 12]

Water intoxication? How does that work? I could imagine bladder disruption or something. How tragic. She must have had a predisposition, or a condition already that was triggered by the whole drink water don't pee thing.

[Mags 112]

Water intoxication? How does that work? I could imagine bladder disruption or something. How tragic. She must have had a predisposition, or a condition already that was triggered by the whole drink water don't pee thing.

It is probably all to do with electrolyte balance. If you drink too much it throws your entire system out of whack.

From Wiki:

In physiology, an electrolyte disturbance is an abnormal change in the levels of electrolytes in the body, usually constituting a medical emergency. Severe or prolonged electrolyte disturbance can lead to cardiac problems, neuronal malfunction, organ failure, and ultimately death, such as with water intoxication.

Electrolytes play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis within the body. They help to regulate myocardial and neurological function, fluid balance, oxygen delivery, acid-base balance and much more. Electrolyte imbalances can develop by the following mechanisms: excessive ingestion or diminished elimination of an electrolyte or diminished ingestion or excessive elimination of an electrolyte. The most common cause of electrolyte disturbances is renal failure.

The most serious electrolyte disturbances involve abnormalities in the levels of sodium, potassium, and/or calcium. Other electrolyte imbalances are less common, and often occur in conjunction with major electrolyte changes. Chronic laxative abuse or severe diarrhea or vomiting can lead to electrolyte disturbances along with dehydration.

[Chris-n-Veronica 0]

Water intoxication? How does that work? I could imagine bladder disruption or something. How tragic. She must have had a predisposition, or a condition already that was triggered by the whole drink water don't pee thing.

I'm not sure of how it works..but it is true, you can drown in your own water

Here is from Google Search... at about.com:

Can You Really Drink Too Much Water?

In a word, yes. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much. Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes.

Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.

What Happens During Water Intoxication?

When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.

From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days.

It's Not How Much You Drink, It's How Fast You Drink It!

The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.

[YuAndDan 153]

Water intoxication? How does that work? I could imagine bladder disruption or something. How tragic. She must have had a predisposition, or a condition already that was triggered by the whole drink water don't pee thing.

Yes too much water can dilute things that are needed to function normaly like sodium.

See:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/hydration/a/aa051200.htm

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

[~Jackie~ 30]

Isn't this like a $160 system? Tragic.

Jackie

[PlatyPius 5]

Isn't this like a $160 system? Tragic.

Jackie

It's a $250 system which is, currently, impossible to buy in this area. Each Wal-Mart in Indiana had 10, which sold out in about 1.2 minutes. Then each store got three more. .36 seconds for that. This "created shortage" that all of these manufacturers are doing is BS. I think both the radio station AND Nintendo should be held responsible for the woman's death.

If the radio station had used Gatorade/PowerAde, or hadn't had the contest at all, no one would have died.

If there was no fake shortage of the Wii, there wouldn't have been a demand for the contest.

[Alanlvsjudy 0]

Indeed a tragedy, the same thing happened to a kid when I was in basic training. Initially they thought it was heat exhaustion.

[Caladan 19]

Or heck, handed them a couple of salt tablets after the contest. That's pretty much the treatment for hyponatremia at marathons, when runners overcompensate for the water loss by drinking so much water they essentially dilute the electrolytes to the point that they can't function.

It can be fatal, but the treatment is pretty simple (if caught early): salt, wait for the kidneys to do their work.

[sparkofcreation 0]

Isn't this like a $160 system? Tragic.

Jackie

It's a $250 system which is, currently, impossible to buy in this area. Each Wal-Mart in Indiana had 10, which sold out in about 1.2 minutes. Then each store got three more. .36 seconds for that. This "created shortage" that all of these manufacturers are doing is BS. I think both the radio station AND Nintendo should be held responsible for the woman's death.

If the radio station had used Gatorade/PowerAde, or hadn't had the contest at all, no one would have died.

If there was no fake shortage of the Wii, there wouldn't have been a demand for the contest.

I don't think it's a "fake shortage." I mean, they clearly haven't manufactured enough to keep up with demand, but that doesn't mean there isn't a shortage. I don't think they have them sitting in a warehouse somewhere—why would they do that? Sit on profits like that?

We're blaming pressure to rush a system to market by Christmas before they've had time to make enough.

[Caladan 19]

I'm pretty sure it's a controlled marketing strategy. Not that the company necessarily has them all sitting in a warehouse somewhere (though I wouldn't doubt that), but that you better believe that the numbers to bring to market are carefully studied and controlled.

If the Nintendo Wii or Playstation 3 launches and just sits on shelves, they've lost money on the ones that don't sell. And their new product becomes the dusty thing that isn't hot. If they exactly hit the demand, that's not bad, except compared with what happens if they undershoot it. If they undershoot it, creating an artifical shortage.... well, look what happens. People know ahead of time there aren't that many. Kids wait in lines. Newspapers run stories about how it sold out in 1.3 seconds! And while they're at it, show how the new controllers work. Live feeds from Japan! Oh, now it's going for $2500 on E-bay! This builds buzz, and creates more demand.

One accidental shortage by one company I could believe. The fact that it happens with every new release? Marketing genius.

[luvaLimey 0]

One of the people I worked with was investigated by CPS when his child died from this. Their doctor had told them to make their daughter drink a glass of water every time she misbehaved. She was 3 years old, and so they used that for every little thing, and she died.

[Jenn! 918]

One of the people I worked with was investigated by CPS when his child died from this. Their doctor had told them to make their daughter drink a glass of water every time she misbehaved. She was 3 years old, and so they used that for every little thing, and she died.

Oh my! What the he11 was wrong with that doctor?????

[KarenCee 3]

One of the people I worked with was investigated by CPS when his child died from this. Their doctor had told them to make their daughter drink a glass of water every time she misbehaved. She was 3 years old, and so they used that for every little thing, and she died.

Oh my! What the he11 was wrong with that doctor?????

I agree! ...and what was drinking a glass of water when she misbehaved supposed to achieve?

There are days when I feel like some of this country's inhabitants are just plain stupid. This is one of those days.

[pedroh 21]

Isn't this like a $160 system? Tragic.

Jackie

It's a $250 system which is, currently, impossible to buy in this area. Each Wal-Mart in Indiana had 10, which sold out in about 1.2 minutes. Then each store got three more. .36 seconds for that. This "created shortage" that all of these manufacturers are doing is BS. I think both the radio station AND Nintendo should be held responsible for the woman's death.

If the radio station had used Gatorade/PowerAde, or hadn't had the contest at all, no one would have died.

If there was no fake shortage of the Wii, there wouldn't have been a demand for the contest.

I don't think it's a "fake shortage." I mean, they clearly haven't manufactured enough to keep up with demand, but that doesn't mean there isn't a shortage. I don't think they have them sitting in a warehouse somewhere—why would they do that? Sit on profits like that?

We're blaming pressure to rush a system to market by Christmas before they've had time to make enough.

yea being the top seller, i dont think there's a fake shortage, it's usually a logistics and manufacturing problem.. although the WII is easier to make than the ps3 due to its not very high tech system, there's still a higher demand , and this first batch came with a couple of glitches and defects, so i dont think theres enough time to correct defects and make more wiis