Question 37 LB01 - Lifeboat Operator

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for Option B (8 to 14 days):** Option B (8 to 14 days) is the most accurate estimate for human survival time without external water, assuming maximal effort is made to conserve existing body moisture and prevent excessive water loss (perspiration). Even without drinking, the body still loses water through essential physiological processes (insensible water loss): breathing, urination (even minimal quantities are needed to excrete waste products), and defecation. By eliminating active perspiration (sweating due to heat or exertion), survival time is maximized. Under these ideal, water-conserving conditions, most healthy adults can survive roughly one to two weeks before dehydration becomes fatal. **Explanation for Incorrect Options:** * **A) Up to 3 days:** Three days is often cited as the survival limit in hot environments or situations where effort is exerted and sweating is unavoidable. This represents the minimum survival time without water under typical or adverse conditions, not the maximum achievable time when moisture is perfectly conserved. * **C) 15 to 20 days:** This range generally overestimates the achievable survival time. While exceptional cases exist, for the average person, metabolic demands and unavoidable water losses (insensible losses) mean that life-threatening dehydration and organ failure would likely occur before the 15-day mark, even with perfect conservation efforts. * **D) 25 to 30 days:** This range is significantly beyond the physiological limit for human survival without water. Survival times this long are typically associated with survival without food, provided water is readily available.