The rapid melting of glaciers due to climate change is not only transforming landscapes and raising sea levels but also unveiling hidden threats. One such threat is the release of ancient bacteria and other microorganisms trapped within the ice for millennia. This has coincided with a concerning trend: the consumption of glacial meltwater straight from the source, fueled by a desire for pristine water and amplified by social media.

One concerning trend emerging amidst this crisis is the consumption of glacial meltwater straight from the source. This practice, fueled by a desire for pristine water and amplified by social media, has recently gained traction on platforms like TikTok, where content creators have made it fashionable to drink water directly from glaciers.

Recently, rapper and actor Ludacris shared an Instagram video of himself drinking glacial water in Alaska, sparking a conversation about the safety of this practice. In the video, Ludacris, standing on a glacier, excitedly proclaims, “I’ve never tasted fresh glacial water in my life and this is a first,” before filling his thermos and taking a sip.

While Ludacris described the water as refreshing and rejuvenating, his actions triggered a wave of concern on social media. Many users warned about the potential health risks associated with drinking untreated glacial water. Comments ranged from playful jokes about starting a new pandemic to serious advice about the importance of filtering or boiling the water to avoid harmful bacteria and viruses.

One fan even commented, “Bro gon discover some ancient disease,” while another cautioned, “Be careful with glacier water! Even though it looks fresh and clean, it’s often full of bacteria, parasites, and viruses… Microorganisms you definitely don’t want in your system. It can make you extremely sick. Make sure to boil it first to stay safe!”

Experts like microbiologist Zhi-Ping Zhong, echo these concerns. “These glaciers were formed gradually, and along with dust and gasses, many, many viruses were also deposited in that ice,” said Zhong, lead author of the 2021 study published in the journal Microbiome.

Adding to these concerns, a TikTok video recently surfaced featuring a man who claimed he was “literally sick for two weeks” after drinking water from a 600,000-year-old glacier in Alaska. Despite describing it as “the best water I think I’ve ever had,” he warns viewers of the potential consequences.

The potential health risks associated with consuming untreated glacial water are not insignificant, according to TK. These ancient microbes, dormant for centuries, can cause a range of health issues, from mild gastrointestinal distress to more serious infections like giardiasis, a parasitic infection that causes diarrhea, cramps, and nausea. In rare cases, even more severe illnesses can occur.

Scientists have identified nearly 1,000 unique bacteria species in Tibetan glaciers, many of which are new to science. As glaciers melt due to climate change, these ancient microbes could be released into the environment, potentially posing a risk to human and animal health.

“We know very little about viruses and microbes in these extreme environments, and what is actually there,” explains Lonnie Thompson, a glaciologist involved in the research told Forbes. “The documentation and understanding of that is extremely important: How do bacteria and viruses respond to climate change?”

In response to the online reaction, Ludacris took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend his actions. Calling himself a “water snob,” he reiterated his positive experience, claiming the water was the “best-tasting water in my life” and that he felt “like Superman” after drinking it.

Lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart also recently faced criticism for using a piece of an iceberg to chill her cocktail during a Greenland cruise, highlighting a perceived disconnect between luxury and environmental awareness amidst the climate crisis.

The allure of drinking water straight from a glacier, amplified by celebrities like Ludacris and Stewart, is understandable, but the risks are real. But the trend highlights a broader issue: the interconnectedness of climate change and human health. The melting of glaciers is not just a visual reminder of a warming planet but also a catalyst for the release of potential health hazards.

The toxic legacy of climate change

The thawing of permafrost, the frozen ground that often underlies glaciers, is exacerbating these concerns. Scientists estimate that nearly 200,000 glaciers worldwide, excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, lost mass and thickness between 2000 and 2019, contributing to 21% of the observed sea level rise during that period, according to a 2022 study by Dartmouth College. This alarming trend has far-reaching consequences, including rising sea levels, disrupted water supplies, and the release of ancient microorganisms and toxins.

“The effect of glacier melting on water resources is a much bigger issue for society,” Prof Andrew Shepherd, Director of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University of Leeds, told the Science Media Centre in 2022. “Because there is less ice stored in the world’s glaciers than we had thought, they will disappear earlier than expected, and so the communities that depend on their ice and water will experience the worst effects of climate change sooner.”

Beyond their role in the water cycle, ice sheets are crucial to the planet’s climate stability. They contain the majority of the planet’s freshwater and their melting significantly impacts sea levels. Temple University glaciologist Atsuhiro Muto warns, “If even a small portion of the Antarctic ice sheet melted, say, enough to raise sea level by a foot or two, it would inundate much of Earth’s coastal areas and displace many millions of people.”

In Alaska, the thawing permafrost is releasing high levels of mercury into the Yukon River, posing a significant threat to the health of Alaska Native peoples who rely on the river for sustenance and cultural practices. A recent study by the University of Southern California found that the minimum mercury release from thawing permafrost is twice as high as previously estimated.

Josh West, a professor at USC and co-author of the study, warns, “Permafrost soil contains more mercury than all the other soil on the planet, plus all the oceans, plus the atmosphere. So there’s an enormous amount of mercury sitting in these frozen soils where climate change is happening faster than the rest of the world.”

Darcy Peter, who is Koyukon and Gwich’in Athabascan from Beaver, Alaska, and works on climate adaptation, emphasizes the impact on Indigenous communities. “Water is life for Indigenous people in Alaska, and when permafrost thaws, it just creates a slew of problems,” Peter told Grist. “The decline of salmon and the presence of mercury on the Yukon River” affect not only physical health but also cultural identity and traditional practices.

The rapid loss of glaciers and thawing permafrost not only threatens human health but also jeopardizes the preservation of invaluable cultural heritage. Archaeological sites, long frozen in time, are now at risk of being lost forever.

As Dr. Shane Doyle, a Crow Indian and consultant on ice-patch archaeological sites, aptly put it to The Guardian, “It’s so amazing that we can just scrape a few feet down and all of a sudden we’re 10,000 years into the past. And it’s also frightening that the ice is melting at such a rapid pace. We have to get these items as soon as possible, because they’re not going to last another year.”