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Chemistry, 18.04.2021 21:00 juliopejfuhrf7541

Why can water birds drown if they still have detergent on their feathers? Here i answered my own question for those who would like to know:
Detergent contains surfactants that remove dirt from a surface, bird feathers naturally contain an oil produced from the bird that allows the feathers to be waterproof. The surfactants also allow the detergent to mix with water, without surfactants the soap would just roll with the water. Since the natural oil is on a surface, bird feather, when the bird goes into the water, the detergent will mix with the water taking the oil with them. Therefore, the feather will no longer be waterproof and will absorb water which will be catastrophic for them and they could drown. If not drown, the extremely cold water could get in contact with the skin and they could lose body heat and die from that.

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