Chilling facts about cold.
HUMANS should not be able to survive temperatures as low as -60C, which can kill in 30 minutes.Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature falls below 35C.
With the onset of freezing, the victim starts to shiver uncontrollably increasing body heat by 400 per cent. Blood pressure rises, partly because vessels close to the skin surface shut and freeze.
As a result, blood is diverted into the main organs. Heartbeat and oxygen levels decrease. As the body cools further, the blood thickens and clots more easily. Freezing air can cause breathing difficulties.
The heart rate continues to slow causing drowsiness and confusion. When the body temperatures falls to between 33C and 26C victims may lapse into unconsciousness.
In the latter stages of hypothermia, internal organs overheat. Although sufferers are freezing to death, they feel they are burning and shed clothes.
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| Publication: | The Mirror (London, England) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Feb 1, 1999 |
| Words: | 140 |
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