Which of the following reasons explains why a steam burn is more severe than a hot water burn?

• A. Steam is less dense than water, allowing it to penetrate the skin more easily.
• B. Steam has a lower temperature than hot water, causing more tissue damage.
• C. Steam contains less energy than hot water, leading to deeper burns.
• D. Steam releases additional energy as it condenses to liquid water on the skin, transferring more heat.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of heat transfer during a burn: the severity of a burn depends on the amount of heat energy transferred to the skin.
2. Recognize that steam at 100°C contains both sensible heat (due to its temperature) and latent heat (due to the phase change from gas to liquid).
3. Recall that when steam condenses to liquid water on the skin, it releases its latent heat of vaporization, which is a significant amount of energy.
4. Compare this to hot water at 100°C, which only transfers sensible heat without the additional latent heat release.
5. Conclude that the additional energy released by steam during condensation causes more severe burns than hot water at the same temperature.