Xref: utzoo sci.bio:2565 sci.med:13907 sci.chem:738
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!kitty!larry
From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.med,sci.chem
Subject: Re: That bloated feeling
Summary: Freshwater, stagnant water and seawater...
Message-ID: <3551@kitty.UUCP>
Date: 11 Dec 89 04:25:42 GMT
References: <66666@tiger.oxy.edu>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 40

In article <66666@tiger.oxy.edu>, sadeghi@oxy.edu (Behnam Sadeghi) writes:
> Does the amount of solute oxygen in water make any significant difference
> in the rate of the decomposition of a dead human body submerged in water?

	In general, the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) has no significant
effect upon the rate of decomposition of a submerged cadaver.

	Other factors pertaining to water, however, do effect the rate of
decomposition:

1.	Temperature is an obvious factor, with lower temperatures retarding
	the rate of decomposition; as water temperature approaches 0 deg C
	(as in deep lake waters), decomposition through "conventional"
	bacterial putrefaction is virtually halted. 

2.	In general, a cadaver decomposes at a slower rate in seawater than
	under corresponding conditions in fresh water.  The alkaline pH
	of seawater - typically 7.9 - plus the effects of dissolved
	chlorides and sulfates tends to retard bacterial growth and hence
	decomposition.

3.	In general, a cadaver found in stagnant water or close to a sewage
	plant effluent outlet will decompose at a more rapid rate since the
	body provides a growth medium for bacteria already in the water.

> Another question:  Does the level of salt concentration in water affect
> the solublity of oxygen in water in any significant way?

	It sure does!  Oxygen is MUCH less soluble in seawater than in
freshwater.  A typical activity coefficient (lambda) for oxygen in seawater
is about 1.25.  Due to the large concentration of chlorides and sulfates,
a significant amount of the "water" in seawater is water of hydration.
Gases are less soluble in water which is bonded to ions.  Incidently, the
term "salting-out effect" is used to describe the condition where gases
are less soluble in solutions with higher salt concentrations.

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