What is the difference between frostbite and hypothermia?
Frostbite is actually the freezing of tissue [such as skin, muscle and nerve tissue]. Suppose you’re on top of Mount Everest and you’re bundled up; your core temperature is 98.6 degrees F. If you take off your gloves, you have exposed that area and it may get frostbite. That’s not hypothermia. Hypothermia is a drop in the core temperature of the body. When are you in danger of getting frostbite and were these survivors at risk? For frostbite to occur, the tissue actually has to freeze—meaning a dip to 32 degrees F (0 degree C) or lower. The parts of the body submerged in water are not in danger of becoming frostbitten, because the water temperature (41 degrees F) is not freezing. However, the parts of the body exposed to air are at risk because the air temperature is 20 degrees F (–7 degrees C), which is below freezing. Can you die from frostbite? You can certainly die from frostbite, but that is exceptionally rare. Usually when people die from frostbite, it’s from some complication do
