According to a study published in the journal Journal of Applied Physiology, the human body may not have as much resistance to the combination of heat and humidity as it was thought. The research was carried out by Pennsylvania State University and is the first to analyze the influence of such a combination in the body. So, keep reading and find out what is the limit of heat and humidity that the human body can withstand.
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Furthermore, it is worth noting that the limit temperature of the human body taken into account throughout the study is four degrees less than the previously estimated 35°C. Even for older people and pregnant women, this temperature may be even lower.
How our body deals with the influence of heat and humidity
It is through sweat that our body regulates the internal temperature. Thus, understanding the meaning of “wet bulb temperature” is of paramount importance, since it evaluates the combination of heat and humidity.
In this sense, it was observed that in hotter and drier climates, our organism cannot fully withstand heat and humidity. Therefore, if the relative humidity is at 100%, for example, sweat cannot evaporate as easily.
Furthermore, climate change is affecting steam production and thus bringing more heat into the atmosphere. With this, it is estimated that there is an overcoming of the limit temperature of the wet bulb.
What limit does the body support?
To carry out the tests present in the study, the scientists had 24 healthy adults between 18 and 34 years old. Among these recruits, 10 were part of the control group. For this, the participants ingested a device capable of measuring the body's core temperature.
For the second part of the test, recruits went into a chamber with controlled temperature and humidity levels. There, on stationary bicycles, they performed the exercise while the temperature and humidity gradually rose.
When subjected to such conditions, the critical wet bulb temperatures varied between 30 °C and 31 °C. However, researchers believe that this number increases if the person is still.
