what produces more severe burns boiling water or steam

Steam produces more severe burns than boiling water at the same temperature (100 °C).

Why steam burns are worse

• Both boiling water and steam can be at 100 °C, but steam carries extra hidden energy called latent heat of vaporization.

• When steam touches your cooler skin, it rapidly condenses back into liquid water and releases that latent heat directly into the tissue. This dumps much more energy into your skin in a very short time, causing deeper, more severe burns.

• Boiling water only transfers the heat corresponding to its temperature; there is no extra phase‑change energy released, so the burn is usually less severe than a steam burn at the same temperature.

In practical terms: brief contact with steam from, say, a pressure cooker vent can injure faster and more seriously than a splash of boiling water, so extra care around steam sources is essential.

Safety note: If anyone sustains a burn from boiling water or steam, cool the area under gently running cool (not ice‑cold) water and seek medical care, especially for large, blistering, or facial burns.