How Hot Is Too Hot for the Human Body?

Scientists and other observers have become alarmed about the increasing frequency of extreme heat paired with high humidity.

People often point to a study published in 2010 that theorized that a wet-bulb temperature of 95 F (35 C) — equal to a temperature of 95 F at 100 percent humidity, or 115 F at 50 percent humidity — would be the upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature.

It was not until recently that this limit was tested on humans in laboratory settings. The results of these tests show an even greater cause for concern.

To answer the question of “how hot is too hot?” we brought young, healthy men and women into the Noll Laboratory at Penn State University to experience heat stress in a controlled environmental chamber.

These experiments provide insight into which combinations of temperature and humidity begin to become harmful for even the healthiest humans.

Each participant swallowed a small telemetry pill that continuously monitored their deep body or core temperature. They then sat in an environmental chamber, moving just enough to simulate the minimal activities of daily living, such as showering, cooking and eating. Researchers slowly increased either the temperature in the chamber or the humidity in hundreds of separate experiments and monitored when the subject’s core temperature started to rise.

That combination of temperature and humidity at which the person’s core temperature starts to continuously rise is called the “critical environmental limit.”

Below those limits, the body is able to maintain a relatively stable core temperature over long periods of time. Above those limits, core temperature rises continuously and the risk of heat-related illnesses with prolonged exposures is increased.

When the body overheats, the heart has to work harder to pump blood flow to the skin to dissipate the heat, and when you’re also sweating, that decreases body fluids. In the direst case, prolonged exposure can result in heat stroke, a life-threatening problem that requires immediate and rapid cooling and medical treatment.

Our studies on young healthy men and women show that this upper environmental limit is even lower than the theorized 35 C (95 F). It occurs at a wet-bulb temperature of about 87 F (31 C) across a range of environments above 50 percent relative humidity. That would equal 87 F at 100 percent humidity or 100 F (38 C) at 60 percent humidity.

Current heat waves around the globe are exceeding those critical environmental limits, and approaching, if not exceeding, even the theorized 95 F (35 C) wet-bulb limits.

In the Middle East, Asaluyeh, Iran, recorded an extremely dangerous maximum wet-bulb temperature of 92.7 F (33.7 C) on July 16, 2023. India and Pakistan have both reached hazardous levels in recent years, as well.

In hot, dry environments, the critical environmental limits aren’t defined by wet-bulb temperatures, because almost all the sweat the body produces evaporates, which cools the body. However, the amount humans can sweat is limited, and we also gain more heat from the higher air temperatures.

Keep in mind that these cutoffs are based solely on keeping your body temperature from rising excessively. Even lower temperatures and humidity can place stress on the heart and other body systems.

A recent paper from our laboratory showed that heart rate begins to increase well before our core temperature does, as we pump blood to the skin. And while eclipsing these limits does not necessarily present a worst-case scenario, prolonged exposure may become dire for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

Our experimental focus has now turned to testing older men and women, since even healthy aging makes people less heat-tolerant. The increased prevalence of heart disease, respiratory problems and other health problems, as well as certain medications, can put them at even higher risk of harm. People over the age of 65 comprise some 80 percent to 90 percent of heat wave casualties.

Staying well hydrated and seeking areas in which to cool down — even for short periods — are important in high heat.

While more cities in the United States are expanding cooling centers to help people escape the heat, there will still be many people who will experience these dangerous conditions with no way to cool themselves.

Even those with access to air conditioning might not turn it on because of the high cost of energy — a common occurrence in Phoenix — or because of large-scale power outages during heat waves or wildfires, as is becoming more common in the western U.S.

All told, the evidence continues to mount that climate change is not just a problem for the future. It is one that humanity is currently facing and must tackle head-on.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.

W. Larry Kenney specializes in control of human skin blood flow with an emphasis on aging, physiology and biophysics of heat exchange between humans and the environment, and thermoregulation during exercise and in extreme environments.

Daniel Vecellio is a postdoctoral fellow at Penn State's Center for Healthy Aging. He has a master's degree in atmospheric science and a Ph.D. in geography. His research has included work on the effect of permafrost degradation on land-atmosphere interactions and is currently focused on extreme heat and human health.

Rachel Cottle is a Ph.D. student in exercise physiology. Her research includes the impact of heat on human bodies and performance.

S. Tony Wolf is a postdoctoral researcher in kinesiology. He is involved in the PSU H.E.A.T. (Human Environmental Age Thresholds) project studying the impact of heat and humidity on the human body.