Question

What produces more severe burns boiling water or steam.

Answer 1

Hint : In order to solve this question we need to study how much heat is consumed in each of that according to that the cause of damage will be calculated so we will have to study it carefully and systematically so one thing can be noted that the boiling point of water is 373 K while we need more than that energy to convert it to steam.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
For solving this we need to study first what is severe burns:
Burns are characterized by severe skin damage that causes the affected skin cells to die. Most people can recover from burns without serious health consequences, depending on the cause and degree of injury. More serious burns require immediate emergency medical care to prevent complications and death.
There are three primary types of burns: first-, second-, and third-degree. Each degree is based on the severity of damage to the skin, with first-degree being the most minor and third-degree being the most severe. Damage includes:
-First degree burns red, non blistered skin
-Second-degree burns: blisters and some thickening of the skin
-Third-degree burns: widespread thickness with a white, leathery appearance
There are also fourth-degree burns. This type of burn includes all of the symptoms of a third-degree burn and also extends beyond the skin into tendons and bones.
Now we will be studying about the boiling water and the steam as we already know the boiling point of water is 100 degree Celsius so to make the steam we need a more amount of water heat than it, since the steam consumes more amount of energy so it means the steam can cause more damage to the skin and hence cause more severe burns.
Steam produces more severe burns than boiling water. We know that 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 skin and condenses to produce water it gives out 22.5 x 105 J/kg more heat than boiling water at the same temperature. Therefore, burns produced by steam are more severe than those produced by boiling water. Steam has more energy than boiling water. Therefore, burns produced by steam are more severe than those produced by boiling water.

Additional Information:
Some of the precautions to be taken from burns:
-Keep children out of the kitchen while cooking.
-Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.
-Place a fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen.
-Test smoke detectors once a month.
-Replace smoke detectors every 10 years.
-Keep water heater temperature under 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Measure bath water temperature before use.
-Lock up matches and lighters.
-Install electrical outlet covers.

Note :
Boiling point of a substance reaches when the atmospheric pressure becomes equal to the vapour above the surface of the liquid. In other words, we can say that it is the temperature at which the surrounding pressure equals to the pressure exerted by the vapour of the liquid. Hence boiling point is not always equal to 373K.