mahoney@bach.DEC (02/22/86)
---------------------Reply to mail dated 19-FEB-1986 22:27--------------------- I am not sure if this belongs here but I don't kno where else to put it. I was just reading in US News and World Reports in a Section called News You Can Use about hypothermia. It says it can occur in water less then 70 degrees. That seems a little high to me I think it should be more around less then 50 degrees. (I know that if it is less then 50 it is less then 70 so lets not get into that discussion) Can anyone tell me if US News is correct or incorrect and if they are incorrect what is the higher bound for the temperature? Brian Mahoney mahoney%bach.dec@decwrl.arpa "If someone has a cure all you can be sure it will make you sick."
ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) (02/23/86)
I think that if you spend a while in a 60-degree swimming pool you will find convincing evidence that hypothermia can occur in water warmer than 50 degrees. I don't know for certain if it actually can, but 60 degrees is *COLD*!
holloway@drivax.UUCP (Bruce Holloway) (02/26/86)
In article <1292@decwrl.DEC.COM> mahoney@bach.DEC writes: > >.... Can anyone tell me >if US News is correct or incorrect and if they are incorrect what is the >higher bound for the temperature? Any temperature less than body temperature, and you'll start getting colder. But normal activity and metabolism and the sun shining on you, etc., should be enough to keep you warm. 50 degrees would just freeze you that much faster. The body temperature, if lowered below 70 degrees, will kill you. -- +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Whatever I write are not the opinions or policies of Digital Research, Inc.,| |and probably won't be in the foreseeable future. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Bruce Holloway ....!ucbvax!hplabs!amdahl!drivax!holloway (I'm not THAT Bruce Holloway, I'm the other one.)
dbb@aicchi.UUCP (Burch) (03/02/86)
In article <1292@decwrl.DEC.COM> mahoney@bach.DEC writes: >.............................. It says it can occur in water less then >70 degrees. That seems a little high to me I think it should be more >around less then 50 degrees........................................... Well, the temperature of 70 degrees (F.) was determined experimentally. In water of that temperature, heat is conducted away from the body at a faster rate than it is produced. As soon as your temp. gets down to 91 degrees, the body shuts down, and the decline to coma and death is rapid. The body will last for several (up to 10) hours in 70 degree water, and it declines exponentially until you die in 10 minutes in 33 degree water... -- -David B. (Ben) Burch Analyst's International Corp. Chicago Branch (ihnp4!aicchi!dbb) "Argue for your limitations, and they are yours"