Is Drinking Heavy Water Dangerous?

Heavy water has the same chemical formula as normal water—H₂O—but one or both of the hydrogen atoms are the deuterium isotope of hydrogen instead of the regular protium isotope, which is why heavy water is also known as deuterated water or D₂O. The nucleus of a deuterium atom has both a proton and a neutron, whereas the nucleus of a protium atom contains only a single proton. Deuterium is almost twice as heavy as protium, but since it isn’t radioactive, neither is heavy water. You wouldn’t have to be concerned about radiation sickness if you drank heavy water.

Heavy water, also known as deuterium oxide, is colourless and engages in many of the same reactions as regular water. However, most people report that these two types of liquid taste differently. The flavour of heavy water is slightly sweet. Both heavy water and deuterium are not radioactive. The most frequent method for isolating heavy water concentrates tritiated water (T₂O). Tritium atoms have one proton and two neutrons, making the isotope unstable. Because of the extra tritiated water, most heavy water is very weakly radioactive. It’s not a significant concern because heavy and tritiated water is present in trace levels in everyday drinking water.

Principal and preparation of heavy water

Heavy water is isolated from ordinary water, which is the primary source of heavy water. In most cases, it is made through extensive electrolysis.

The heavy water is isolated using either extended electrolysis or fractional distillation of alkali-containing water. The cell is made of steel and is 18 inches long by 4 inches wide. The anode is a cylindrical sheet of nickel with many tiny holes, whereas the cathode is the cell itself. Water is electrolysed in multiple phases using a huge number of these cells. Gases in each stage are burned independently, and the water produced is returned to the preceding stage. The heavy water progressively focuses on the residue that has been left behind.

Applications of heavy water

• Certain chemicals, such as deuterium and tritium, can be produced using heavy water

• Heavy water is also used as a nuclear reactor. These reactors must undergo a fission reaction with Uranium-235. When a neutron is fired at a massive nucleus, the nucleus splits apart in a fission reaction. As a result of the splitting, a tremendous amount of energy is released. Neutrons move at an exceedingly quick rate in these reactors and must be slowed down. The fission reaction materialises more efficiently with slower neutron migration in the reactor

• Scientists utilise heavy water as a tracer compound. When an atom is put into another mixture, it becomes an isotopic tracer. Scientists can use such an atom to ‘track’ a mixture’s progress. Heavy water provides this unusual combination of compatibility and differentiation in isotopic tracers

Is drinking heavy water dangerous?

Drinking heavy water in small amounts will not affect you. You won’t get sick from drinking D₂O. As deuterium isn’t radioactive, you won’t get radiation poisoning. Deuterium atoms are found in modest amounts in the environment. Finding one deuterium atom for every seven thousand hydrogen atoms is extremely difficult. Humans will not be harmed by drinking D₂O at these proportions. The flavour of heavy water is slightly sweeter than that of plain water.

Due to the difference in density of the liquid, you may experience some discomfort if you drink a large amount of heavy water. You may notice a tiny difference in the pressure of the fluids in your ears. However, this amount should not harm your health, and it is extremely rare for someone to eat enough heavy water to cause significant difficulty. Heavy water, therefore, is extremely toxic to health if consumed in large quantities.

Chemical reactions in the body will be affected by the increased mass of deuterium atoms compared to hydrogen atoms. Natural chemical processes that occur often in the human body will be slowed by the heavier D₂O molecules. If the amount of heavy water in your body reaches 20% of the total water in your body, it could be lethal.

Tritium atoms, rather than deuterium atoms, are found in some forms of heavy water. Because tritium is heavier and, more crucially, radioactive, this version is even more dangerous. Any ingestion of such fluids will cause actual harm and may compromise human DNA integrity.

Heavy water isn’t radioactive, however, drinking heavy water in large quantities is not safe. The problem is that heavy water has a higher mass than ordinary water. The mass difference, in essence, hinders biological operations that need water. Deuterium also has a different reactivity than protium because it creates stronger hydrogen bonds.

Conclusion

Deuterium replaces hydrogen in heavy water, making it look like ordinary water. Heavy water behaves in most ways like regular water, except that it is a little heavier. Deuterium is stable,non-radioactive, and has nearly the same chemical and electrical attributes as hydrogen, so it behaves in most ways like regular water. As a result, a glass of heavy water will not have much of an effect on you. Algae and bacteria may survive in 100% heavy water without any regular water. Because the cells of plants and animals are more complicated, too much heavy water causes illness or death. Heavy water impairs mitosis, the sort of cell division used to heal injuries and generate new cells, which is a major issue. Mitotic spindles in cells holding too much heavy water cannot divide a cell evenly enough to produce two identical new ones. However, you must drink and eat just heavy water for a few days to notice an effect. Humans and other mammals can survive by replacing 20% of ordinary water in cells with heavy water.