Eating snow raw is generally not recommended. While fresh snow itself is typically safe to ingest, there are some important risks and factors to consider before eating raw snow.
Quick Answers
Here are quick answers to common questions about eating raw snow:
- Is it safe to eat snow? Fresh snow is typically safe to eat in small quantities, but it is generally not recommended as a primary water source.
- Can you get sick from eating snow? Yes, you can get sick from eating snow if it contains contaminants or bacteria.
- What are the risks of eating snow? Risks include ingesting pollutants, bacteria, parasites, and toxic substances that may be present in the snow.
- Is yellow snow safe to eat? No, yellow snow contains urine and should never be consumed.
- Is fresh snow safe to eat? Fresh snow is relatively safe in small amounts, but not as a consistent water source due to lack of nutrients and potential contaminants.
- Is urban snow safe to eat? No, snow in urban areas with pollution carries higher risks of contamination and toxicity.
Nutritional Value of Snow
Fresh snow itself has little to no nutritional value. Here’s an overview of the nutritional content, or lack thereof, in snow:
- Water content: Snow is primarily composed of water, but contains very little nutrients.
- Calories: Snow has no significant calories or carbohydrates.
- Protein: Snow contains no protein.
- Vitamins and minerals: Snow has trace amounts of minerals like calcium, but no significant vitamin content.
- Fiber: There is no fiber in fresh snow.
- Fat: Snow contains no fat or fatty acids.
- Sugar: There are no sugars or sweeteners in plain snow.
While snow can provide hydration in limited amounts if no other water sources are available, it lacks the energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals required for human health and survival.
Dangers of Eating Contaminated Snow
While fresh snow is typically safe, snow can be contaminated with a number of hazardous substances:
- Bacteria and Viruses: Snow can contain dangerous bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Legionella, and Vibrio species. Viruses like norovirus, rotavirus, and enterovirus can also be present.
- Parasites: Parasitic organisms like Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium can contaminate snow.
- Chemical Pollutants: Snow absorbs toxins and particulates from car exhaust, industrial emissions, pesticides, fertilizers, and other pollutants.
- Heavy Metals: Lead, mercury, cadmium, and other heavy metals from pollution may be found in snow near roads or factories.
- Radiation: Snow can absorb radioactive particles after nuclear events, potentially leading to radiation sickness if consumed.
Consuming contaminated snow can lead to severe gastroenteritis or diarrhea. Parasites, viruses, and bacteria can also cause dangerous infections. Toxic metals and radiation can result in organ damage, birth defects, and cancer with prolonged exposure.
Risk Factors for Contaminated Snow
Certain types of snow carry higher risks of contamination:
- Urban snow near roadways or industrial areas
- Snow near agricultural areas using pesticides/fertilizers
- Snow downwind from factories or power plants
- Snow in regions with mining operations
- Snow collected soon after an atmospheric nuclear event
- Old snow that has partially melted and refrozen
- Any visibly discolored yellow/brown snow
Safe Snow Consumption Practices
If you need to consume snow for hydration, follow these tips to reduce risks:
- Consume fresh snow before it accumulates possible contaminants from the ground.
- Collect snow far from roads, factories, farms, nuclear sites, etc.
- Avoid snow near standing water sources like creeks or lakes.
- Select snow that is pure white and fluffy looking.
- Never eat yellow or discolored snow.
- Discard any snow with odd odors.
- Boil snow for 1 minute before consuming if possible.
- Limit snow consumption to small amounts to avoid lowering body temperature.
- Don’t eat snow over prolonged periods as your sole water source.
In survival situations, snow consumption should be minimized when possible. Melting snow into drinking water is ideal if supplies allow. Seek other water sources like freshwater streams, boiled rainwater, or portable water filters and treatment options when available.
Methods for Melting Snow into Potable Water
Melting snow into water before consumption is ideal for reducing potential contaminants. Here are some methods for converting snow into safer drinking water in the wilderness or in situations without modern utilities:
Camp Stove or Fire
The most reliable method is melting snow in a metal container over a camp stove or fire. This boiling process helps kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Let the water cool before drinking. Avoid plastic containers near flames and monitor closely to prevent burning/melting.
Solar Still
A solar still uses sunlight to evaporate and condense water into a collection container. Dig a hole and place a small bowl in the center. Cover the hole with plastic wrap, sealing it with rocks or dirt. Place a rock in the center above the bowl to collect droplets. This distills small amounts of water over time if sunlight is adequate.
Improvised Metal Containers
In the absence of standard pots, improvise a metal container to melt snow. Use a cleaned metal barrel, car hood, hubcap, or similar object. Heat with fire underneath and collect water in a cup or glass.
Plastic Bottle in Sunlight
As a short-term emergency method, place snow in a plastic bottle and leave in direct sunlight. Rotate the bottle occasionally to maximize light exposure. The radiant heat and magnified sunlight will slowly melt the snow. Use caution drinking any water melted this way.
Body Heat
In extreme emergencies without any supplies, snow can be melted by body heat alone. Store small handfuls of snow against the skin underneath layers of dry clothing. This is highly inefficient and should only be used if no other options are available.
Alternatives to Consuming Raw Snow
When possible, opt for safer water alternatives instead of eating raw snow. Options include:
- Bottled or canned drinking water
- Freshwater streams, lakes, springs – boil before use
- Heated and filtered melted snow water
- Water disinfectants like iodine tablets
- Portable water filters and treatment systems
- Solar distillation of collected rainwater
- Transporting water from safer sources
- Packaged rehydration beverages
Having reliable emergency water supplies and methods avoids relying on raw snow consumption. Proper planning and preparation drastically reduces the risks of ingesting contaminated snow in outdoor winter settings.
Historical Cases of Snow Consumption
Here are some notable historical examples of human snow consumption during expeditions and survival situations:
Donner Party Snow Consumption – Sierra Nevada, 1846-47
The Donner Party wagon train became snowbound attempting to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1846. With limited supplies, members reportedly consumed boiled snow for hydration. Some survivors resorted to cannibalism with at least 42 dying from starvation, sickness, and hypothermia.
Franklin Expedition – Canadian Arctic, 1845-48
The doomed HMS Erebus and HMS Terror expedition led by Sir John Franklin suffered scurvy and starvation after getting trapped in ice north of Canada. With stores of food tainted by lead poisoning, some crew members likely ingested snow in desperation that contributed to hypothermia.
Greely Expedition – Lady Franklin Bay, 1881-84
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition led by Adolphus Greely lost 18 of its 25 men while recording Arctic weather and geomagnetic data. Marooned without supplies, surviving crew consumed melted snow water but eventually resorted to cannibalism before being rescued in 1884.
Byrd Antarctic Expedition – Antarctica, 1928-30
Richard E. Byrd and his team consumed melted snow as drinking water at their Antarctic base during this expedition. They used steam from their generator to melt snow for cooking and drinking needs over the winter until other supply ships could arrive.
Ernest Shackleton – Elephant Island, 1916
After losing his ship the Endurance, Ernest Shackleton and his crew camped on Elephant Island drinking fresh water melted from snow. They were isolated for 4 months before Shackleton led a small group on an open boat journey across 800 miles of ocean to find help.
Snow Consumption in Literature and Popular Culture
Consuming snow, both in practical and metaphorical contexts, is found in many examples of literature and popular culture:
- In Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter, the Ingalls family survives the savage winter of 1880-1881 on the South Dakota prairie partly by gathering snow for water when wells froze over.
- Jack London’s famous novel To Build A Fire follows a man’s struggle through the Yukon wilderness whose attempt to quench thirst with snow contributes to his hypothermic demise.
- Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction book Into Thin Air recounts climbers on Mount Everest consuming snow melted with body heat and camp stoves in life-threatening conditions.
- The film The Revenant includes a scene of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character eating snow for hydration after being mauled by a bear.
- In the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, the protagonist Brian survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness partly by eating handfuls of snow to stay hydrated.
- The poem “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost contains the lines “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.” This metaphorically references the narrator’s experience tasting ice/snow.
These examples demonstrate snow consumption both as a practical survival mechanism and as a metaphor for desire, isolation, struggle, and mortality across different literary genres and contexts.
Scientific Research on Snow Consumption
Several scientific studies have analyzed the risks and effects of consuming snow:
Bacterial Contamination in Fresh Snow – Finland, 1973
A 1973 study published in the journal Applied Microbiology found that over half of snow samples from Finland contained fecal E. coli and coliform bacteria, making the snow unsafe for consumption without treatment. Higher contamination was detected in snow near human populations.
Snow Consumption and Dehydration – Alaska, 1951
Researchers in Alaska conducted a 1951 study on the effects of melted snow water consumption on core body temperature. They found that ingesting large quantities of snow lowered body temperature and increased dehydration compared to room temperature water.
Parasite Viability in Frozen Snow – Minnesota, 2016
Scientists at the University of Minnesota examined snow exposed to varying freeze/thaw patterns for the presence of Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parasites. They found both organisms remained infectious in snow after multiple freeze-thaw cycles over a two week period.
Snow Contamination in Western US Mountain Ranges – 2018
A 2018 study tested snow samples from three mountain ranges in the western United States. Over a third of samples from the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains tested positive for human fecal bacteria contamination, demonstrating widespread risks.
Snow Water as a Climate Change Adaptation – Arctic, 2020
Researchers measured water quantity and quality from Alaskan seasonal snowpack in 2020. They suggested utilizing near-surface snowmelt as an additional climate adaptation drinking water source for Arctic communities lacking regular freshwater access.
Expert Medical Recommendations
Medical and survival experts generally advise against consuming snow except in emergency situations. Recommendations include:
- Avoid eating snow when possible and primarily use it to cool items or for cleaning.
- Only consume snow short-term if no other water available – not as a routine water intake.
- Gather fresh snow before it contacts the ground to reduce contamination risks.
- Boil or disinfect snow meltwater when possible before drinking.
- Do not eat large quantities of snow, especially if already cold or hypothermic.
- Never consume yellow or visibly discolored snow.
- Seek medical treatment quickly if experiencing any symptoms after eating snow.
Experts strongly emphasize proper preparation with water treatment methods, survival equipment, and emergency supplies to avoid relying on untreated snow as a necessity.
Key Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways on the risks and safety precautions regarding snow consumption:
- Fresh snow is generally safe in small amounts, but lacks nutrients and carries contamination risks.
- Only consume snow short-term if no other water sources are available.
- Melting snow into drinking water is preferable to direct consumption.
- Avoid snow near roads, farms, factories, and populated areas.
- Boiling snow meltwater helps remove bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
- Eating yellow, old, or odd-smelling snow should be avoided.
- Experts advise against depending on snow as a consistent water intake.
- Proper preparation and emergency supplies reduce the need to consume raw snow.
Conclusion
While snow can provide temporary hydration in survival scenarios, it lacks nutritional value and carries significant contamination hazards if consumed raw and untreated. Melting and boiling snow to create drinking water is preferable when possible. Overall, snow should not be relied on as a routine water source due to the various health risks involved. With appropriate preparation and equipment, the need to eat raw snow can be avoided in most cases.
