Final answer:
Drinking seawater while lost at sea would lead to Dehydration and potential harm to health because the high salt content creates a hypertonic solution, causing water to leave the cells and worsening dehydration.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a person lost at sea decides to drink salty sea water, the most likely scenario that will result is C) Dehydration and potential harm to health. The osmotic pressure of seawater is much higher than that of the body's fluids. Due to this high osmolarity, drinking seawater would lead to water being drawn out of a person's cells into the bloodstream to dilute the excess salt, leading to cellular dehydration.
Our bodies are equipped to handle hypotonic solutions, which have lower osmotic pressure, because the excess water can be filtered out by the kidneys. However, hypertonic solutions like seawater create an imbalance because the body must sacrifice its internal water stores to counteract the high concentration of salt, which exacerbates dehydration.
Dehydration decreases blood volume, causing water within cells to move into the bloodstream, resulting in cellular shrinkage. This can trigger a range of harmful symptoms including thirst, dizziness, and in severe cases, even death. Therefore, drinking seawater is not a viable solution for hydration and can be highly detrimental to a person's health.