Ann Betz, age 10, of St. Paul, Minn., for her question:

CAN TOO MUCH WATER REALLY BE HARMFUL?

Our bodies need several glasses of pure drinking water every day. But as usual, enough is enough and too much is too much. Guzzling~gallons of water definitely can be harmful. The body's living cells are bathed in liquids that contain balanced mixtures of dissolved chemicals. Too much water or too little water upsets these mixtures and the cells cannot do their work. As usual, Mother Nature tries to tell us that too much of anything is harmful.