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The reason behind pee turning black and how starvation contributes to it
The Netflix film Society of the Snow chronicles the story of the survivors of Air Force Flight 571, who were stuck in dire situations until being rescued two and a half months later. Their pee turning “black” was among the most striking details noticed by the viewers.
Why does pee turn black while starving?
As shown in the film, the urine or pee turns dark or “black” when the body is severely dehydrated, notes the National Library of Medicine.
The supplies on the plane that had crashed supported the surviving members only for about a week. To keep themselves alive, they resorted to cannibalism and fed off the deceased passengers.
Their extreme diet is believed to have contributed to acute dehydration, further contributing to urine’s dark color.
Aside from water and other beverages, the body derives hydration from the food we eat. Until the survivors decided to eat the other passengers, their bodies were starved of nutrition to keep going.
The lack of food and water took a toll on their bodies, and the extreme starvation led to dark or black urine.
What happened to Air Force Flight 571?
The real-life tragedy that inspired the Netflix drama unfolded on October 13, 1972, when Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 traveling from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile, crashed into the Andes mountains.
The pilot reportedly misjudged the place he was flying the aircraft over, which went unnoticed by the air controllers too. An hour after taking off, he radioed about landing while under the assumption that he had reached Curcio in Chile, but he was still in the Andes.
While descending, the aircraft struck a mountain and lost its right and left wings before it crashed into a remote valley.
The impact caused the plane’s wings and tail to tear off and only 33 of the 45 passengers survived the crash. However, by the time the rescue arrived, only 16 members could survive the harrowing conditions of the snowy region.
The surviving members have shared first-hand experiences with the crash and the struggles that followed in the Society of the Snow, currently streaming on Netflix.
