The combination of temperature and humidity can be deadly. The wet thermometer will show how much we can hold out

Man is one of those creatures that cool themselves by evaporation, and therefore sweat. If he does not want to die of overheating, he has to give off this heat. However, is there any temperature limit of the air and the degree of its humidity when we will not be able to cool our body anymore and the human species will be doomed to extinction? With the answer comes the concept of a wet bulb thermometer

1. High temperatures can be very dangerous to your health. They can result in burns, stroke and dehydration
2. Research clearly shows that the heat can be lethal, the risk of brain damage increases, and many diseases are exacerbated
3. The concept of a wet thermometer tells us at what humidity and temperature a person has no chance to survive because he is not able to dissipate the heat it generates, i.e. to cool down
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

A certain temperature difference allows us to cool the body

The temperature inside the human body is about 37 degrees Celsius, and on its surface it is about two degrees lower. As a result, the heat flows towards the skin. This allows us to cool down and give off an average of 100 W of heat that comes from our daily activities. On hot days, when the temperature outside is raging and is above these 35 degrees, we are exposed to overheating, which at 100% humidity. would lead – sooner or later – to our death. This is what the concept of a wet thermometer proves. Fortunately, it’s just a theory, but it’s worth studying and understanding.

The rest of the text below the video.

Wet bulb temperature, what is it?

The temperature we see on a wet thermometer (TMT) is nothing more than the lowest temperature to which our body can be cooled by evaporating water on its surface. When the air is completely saturated with water vapor (humidity 100%), evaporation does not take place and there is no chance of cooling down by sweat. In such conditions, the temperature on the dry and wet thermometer is the same. But the lower the humidity, the lower the “wet” temperature for the same “dry” temperature. Therefore, if the air temperature around us, at 100% humidity, is equal to or higher than 35 degrees Celsius, then a person staying in such an atmosphere has no chance to survive. We will not cool down either in the pool or with the cool air from the fan. The 35 degrees Celsius in such conditions is therefore the temperature when we have to die of overheating. By definition, we will not be able to cool the body.

Fortunately, in the world, man survives at much higher temperatures, but only because the air is usually dry and has a chance for water to evaporate from the body. Water vapor from the body, i.e. our sweat, must be picked up by the air around us. In a word, sweat must have somewhere to evaporate. Scientists, of course, did not conduct experiments on humans, but estimate that at a wet bulb temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (bearing in mind that the humidity is 100%), we would survive a maximum of six hours. Any step above it would hasten our death.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time our guest is Marek Rybiec – businessman, as one of 78 people from all over the world, he completed «4 Deserts» – ultramarathon taking place in extreme places around the world. She talks to Aleksandra Brzozowska about the challenge, mental strength and mindfulness training. Listen!