Can Your Lungs Freeze?

Very good. Two things:

1. "Scientific studies have even proven that human lungs can warm incoming air in temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius."

I would hate to be the poor sap that tested that out.

2. "So rest assured – the only way to get a case of frozen lungs is to die in the outdoors. At that point, your lungs will freeze along with the rest of you."

I feel so assured now.

1. I would be as up for participating in that test as I would in participating in a marathon at the North or South Pole. They'd have to pay me SERIOUS moolah.

2. I like to end my blogs on a positive note! LOL

I grew up in Northern Ontario and had seen the temperature drop to -63 F or ~-53C. It is cold and you cannot take those big deep breaths. If you are out in the weather for long you will freeze your nose, ears, and feet. And believe me they hurt like hell when you finally warm up.

I thought I would share a poem popular in Canadian schools and written by Robert Service about 1907; "The Cremation of Sam McGee."

Worth the read if you are not familiar with it. Enjoy.

You can injure your lungs by breathing too much cold air and taking too deep a breath in rapid succession. It happened to me when I was climbing Sulphur Mountain in Banff Park Alberta. I called it searing my lungs and it took about a year to get over. Lots of wheezing and coughing. There are devices that allow you to draw air from under your clothing that warms the air somewhat to minimize this issue. My advice would be to take it easy on the very cold days it is only common sense and why take the chance of lung damage. Check the net to see what others in your situation are saying about this issue.

As a long time jogger in Winnipeg (350km north of Fargo ND), I can provide anecdotal evidence that your lungs don't freeze in cold weather. I have often jogged in weather as cold as -30C (-22F) and have never suffered for it. Unless it is windy, it is pretty easy to dress for a cold weather jog. Sometimes the icicles that form on my eyelashes can obstruct good vision, though. (No, I am not kidding...)

I usually only skip cold weather jogs when it is really windy, rather than just cold. Convective heat loss can be really fast and dangerous.

It hit 50 below (C) here in edmonton last winter, been lucky so far this year about 40 below is the worst weve seen. Why just yesterday it was -38 when I started the car in the morning. I don't run in weather like that but if dressed for it, nothing freezes. Supposed to go up to zero tomorrow ...... whooo hooo, down right balmy.

I tend to not run in cold weather but then again I tend to not run in warm weather.