Archived When someone burns to death, what exactly kills them? (AskScience)
submitted ago by TAThatBoomerang
Posted by: TAThatBoomerang
Posting time: 4.6 years ago on
Last edit time: 4.6 years ago on
Archived on: 2/12/2017 1:51:00 AM
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Archived When someone burns to death, what exactly kills them? (AskScience)
submitted ago by TAThatBoomerang
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[–] Memorexem 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
It depends on the severity of the burns. If you've got 3rd degree burns on 75% of your body, you're so likely to die from infection it's just not even funny.
Complete immolation, like those Buddhist monks, is just a bad way to go. First, the unimaginable pain will put you into shock almost immediately. Next, lack of air will cause you to pass out in seconds not minutes. At that point, with your body on autopilot, you'll take an involuntary breath. Of several hundred degree air. This air sears your esophagus and lungs, causing them to immediately blister and try to swell shut, and further prevents any oxygen from reaching your blood. That hardly matters, you're nothing but an exothermic corpse at this point, because your shock ridden body is shutting you down.
So. Asphyxiation. Technically.
[–] Ah_Pook 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Almost immediate sounds like a good way to go!
[–] Memorexem 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Well, I mean, compared to what's going to happen... Yeah. Hell yeah. But it's still almost immediate.
Have you ever burnt yourself on a stove? Now imagine that not stopping. And it's your everywhere burning. For like 15-30s. That would feel like a fucking eternity, and I would rather take a gun. Personally. I cooked for too many years to go out like that. Lol
[–] 5175541? ago
Burning to death is probably the way to go I fear the most, although having seen several family members and people at work die from cancer I'd actually lean towards saying cancer (dependant on the type and other factors).
Are you sure that the lack of oxygen will make people pass out in seconds? From the videos I've seen on Liveleak people seemed pretty awake to me
[–] Memorexem 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
Yeah, burning is just bad all around.
How quickly you're going to pass out is probably dependant on some factors too. The guys on liveleak do it like the monks, and just pour gas on themselves while sitting, or were they all running around screaming? If you've got that adrenaline going, and manage to take a solid breath before the air heats up...? Meh. Until it reaches your airway, you'll be just burnt. You could run a long way, until the fire catches up with you.
I bet you could try, really try, to stay conscious (but 99% of us in just severe shock and witless) for awhile when you're catching fire, but once you're actually covered and burning... Yeah, I'm gonna say you've got like 30s. Maybe a bit more if you manage to catch a lungful before you're crispy. But at complete immolation... Wouldn't it kinda be better to just check out?
Edit - I just wanna clarify the difference between conscious and awake. You can be a vegetable and be awake. Consciousness is being aware of and responding to stuff around you. If you're just on fire and running amok in shock, I'd say you very much could be awake yet not conscious.
[–] ghotioninabarrel 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
lots of people are talking about fire, but fire isn't what causes burns. Extreme temperature is, hot or cold (yes you can get burned by cold).
Basically, at extreme temperatures all the proteins in your cells unravel and enzymes stop functioning properly. Literally everything just breaks and now the affected area is just a pile of molecules. Kill enough parts of your body, especially internal parts, and you'll die of whatever system gives out first.
[–] Alias_Unknown 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Generally asphyxiation due to the smoke and gasses. But if that's not the case, I believe cardiac arrest sets in and their heart stops.
[–] TAThatBoomerang [S] ago
Does the heart stop due to asphyxiation / chock or due to something else?
[–] lordtyp0 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Probably from Shock. Shock can be extremely dangerous and relatively easy to set in.
[–] Alias_Unknown 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I'm not too sure in this case. It may be the stress and fear combined with the immense pain that overworks the heart until it ends up out of sync, then it starts to falter before stopping all together. I'm no medical student, so this may be wrong.
[–] Gardmeria 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
weakness
[–] PM_me_your_mitts ago
I mean outside of the smoke/gas release...
I assume when flesh is met with fire the cells certainly can't function at those temperatures. So it could be a rather slow death as you lose more and more layers of cells to the flames until your body can no longer tolerate the loss and shuts down.
I'm not sure if pain can kill but I'm sure the nerve signals going to your brain throw you into shock and probably would make you black out or maybe simply shut down.
Honestly I'd be interested in hearing someone who somehow specializes in an area where they would be able to explain this.