Humans can endure lower max temperatures and humidities than previously thought

 

So humans will be in danger of dying sooner from global warming.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/944592

 News Release 23-Feb-2022
Humans can endure lower max temperatures and humidities than previously thought
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Penn State

 

As climate change nudges the global temperature higher, there is rising interest in the maximum environmental conditions like heat and humidity to which humans can adapt. New Penn State research found that in humid climates, that temperature may be lower than previously thought.

It has been widely believed that a 35°C wet-bulb temperature (equal to 95°F at 100 percent humidity or 115°F at 50 percent humidity) was the maximum a human could endure before they could no longer adequately regulate their body temperature, potentially causing heat stroke or death over a prolonged exposure.

Wet-bulb temperature is read by a thermometer with a wet wick over its bulb and is affected by humidity and air movement. It represents a humid temperature at which the air is saturated and holds as much moisture as it can in the form of water vapor, and that a person’s sweat will not evaporate at that skin temperature.

But in their new study, the researchers found that the actual maximum wet-bulb temperature is lower – about 31°C wet-bulb or 87°F at 100 percent humidity – even for young, healthy subjects. The temperature for older populations, who are more vulnerable to heat, is likely even lower.

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 Kenney added that it’s important to note that using this temperature to assess risk only makes sense in humid climates. In drier climates sweat is able to evaporate from the skin, which helps cool body temperature. Unsafe dry heat environments rely more on the temperature and the ability to sweat, and less on the humidity.

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