Why you should never drink water from a glacier
TikTok content creators have made it fashionable to drink the water from glaciers in Alaska or Greenland, but the practice can put your health at risk.
Have you ever hesitated to drink tap water when you are traveling to another place? The water of each city or country has a different origin, and it could have gone through varying purification plants. It may be considered potable, but your body may react differently if you are not accustomed to drinking it. When you travel abroad, the risk of having stomach trouble from drinking water is likely to increase.
The latest trend among TikTokers and various content creators is to drink water directly from the melting glaciers in places like Antarctica, Alaska or Greenland. It may seem that its origin is pure, the water crystal clear, but drinking it carries dangerous risks that can seriously affect your health.
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Glaciers harbor bacteria and parasites that have remained frozen for a long time. When they melt, these can survive in the remains of the water course that the glaciers leave behind while they thaw. If you drink this water, your body could be ingesting life forms that are invisible to the naked eye.
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What can you find when a glacier melts? The dangers of drinking the water they leave behind
Among them are, for example,Tardigrades, animals less than a millimeter in size that can live in extreme conditions for 30 years. They are commonly known as “water bears” due to their bear-like appearance.
But this is not the only thing that can be found in glaciers. You can find organisms such as microalgae, mercury and even heavy metals such as zinc and cadmium. Scientists have even discovered so-called “zombie viruses” that have been frozen for thousands of years in glaciers that could reanimate as glaciers melt.
If you travel to one of these chilly places and your tour guide or friends encourage you to drink fresh water from a glacier, the safest thing for your health is to decline the offer.