What produces more severe burns, boiling water or steam?

Answer:

Steam produces more severe burns than boiling water. We know that in both boiling water and steam, the temperature is around 100-degree celsius but steam causes severe burns. Let us explore the reason behind it.

Steam causes more severe burns.

• Steam has more energy than boiling water. It possesses the additional latent heat of vaporization.
• So, when steam falls on the skin and condenses to produce water it gives out 22.5 x 10⁵ J/kg more heat than boiling water at the same temperature.
• Steam has more energy than boiling water. Therefore, burns produced by steam are more severe than those produced by boiling water.

Articles to Explore:

1. Water as ice has a cooling effect, whereas water as steam may cause severe burns. Explain these observations.
2. What is the boiling point of water?