Scientists have calculated the maximum temperature and humidity that the human body can withstand
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Scientists have determined the maximum temperature and humidity that the human body can withstand. Even a healthy young person can die after six hours in 35°C combined with 100% humidity. But a new study suggests the threshold may be much lower, Medical Express reports. Sweat is the body’s main tool for lowering internal temperature. If moisture is not released, a person experiences heat stroke, eventually organs fail and death may occur. 35C heat and 100% humidity were recorded more than a dozen times in South Asia and the Persian Gulf, Colin Raymond of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory told AFP. Fortunately, the record heat lasted only a few hours. Photo: roboriginal/Depositphotos But extreme heat doesn’t have to be anywhere close to killing people. Each person has their own threshold depending on age, health and other social and economic factors. For example: small children react badly to an increase in body temperature, and accordingly to heat; older people have fewer sweat glands; people who have to work outdoors in high temperatures. In addition, during the heat, the condition of people is affected by the possibility of cooling the body from time to time, for example, under the air conditioner. And also whether they use water – this helps to avoid dehydration. During the study, the scientists used a “wet” thermometer, meaning they put the thermometer in a wet cloth to see how it dries. The theoretical limit of human survival can correspond to 35°C and 100% humidity or 46°C at 50% humidity. But scientists in the USA decided to measure the real temperature limit for a person. They involved young and healthy people, conducted the experiment in a thermal chamber. The researchers found that the participants had reached their “critical environmental limit” when their bodies could no longer control the rise in internal temperature in the heat. According to the wet bulb, it was 30.6°C, which is significantly lower than the previously theoretical 35°C. It will be recalled that scientists previously explained that the abnormal heat was caused by global warming. Temperature records were set all over the world in July. For example, 52°C was recorded in China. In addition, the heat can aggravate existing ailments, the WHO said. Read also: What happens to the body during the heat: how to cool down, what to eat and how to sleep
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