# Drowning in cooking oil **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017 "2001-02-11T07:30:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/1 "2001-02-11T07:30:13Z")
Okay, so this [poor guy falls into a vat of unheated cooking oil](http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/02/09/life.oil.reut/index.html) and drowns. Now, seeing as that water is heavier than oil (just try mixing the two a jar) do you think it’s impossible to tread water (er…oil that is) because your doomed to sink? Or do you think you could manage it if you _really, really_ kicked hard (it’d have to be pretty hard I suppose, seeing as how viscous oil can be). ---
**Author:** ![dave99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@dave99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave99)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/2 "2001-02-11T08:16:46Z")
Well, I’ll bite. I know this is GQ, and no, I don’t have any cites, but I imagine it is possible, though difficult, to keep afloat by treading er… oil. I don’t think that viscosity would have much effect. From the article you linked to, it seems that the guy fell head first into a tall and skinny tank and didn’t have room to turn himself right-side up. What a way to go. In the interests of accuracy, water is denser than cooking oil, not heavier. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/3 "2001-02-11T14:07:04Z")
I bet it is possible but difficult. there is a great diffrence swimming/treading salt and fresh water so oil would be many times harder ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/4 "2001-02-11T17:11:32Z")
The density of cooking oilsl are typically around .9 gm/cc, while water, and humans, are ~1gm/cc. So a 200 lb person would have to maintain a constant thrust of ~20Lbs to stay afloat in cooking oil. That’s quite a lot of effort. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/5 "2001-02-11T19:37:39Z")
20 lbs is possible, but not for long. I had to do it during scuba training. Another factor is the viscosity, if it is ‘thicker’ you would get more ‘push’ with each stroke - meaning you could deliver more energy to the water. BTW does anyone have the denspty of salt and fresh water handy? ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drowning-in-cooking-oil/54017/6 "2001-02-12T15:37:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > \*\*BTW does anyone have the denspty of salt and fresh water handy? \*\* I think that’s a moot point, seeing as how the human body is the same density as salt water. Heres what I found: > [@](#): > > \*\*"Fresh water has a density of 1.0 while salt water has a density of 1.025. From this, you can see that salt water is slightly heavier than fresh water. The ratio between the two is 41:40. " > > Relative Density/Specific Gravity- ratio of the mass of a given volume of a substance to the mass of the same volume of water. This is one of the reasons for why we float. > > 1. Fresh water - 1.0 > > Relative density of less than 1 - you float > Relative density greater than 1 - you sink\*\*