Wet clothing extracts heat from the body up to 240 times faster than dry clothing, which can lead to hypothermia.

• A. Depends on wind
• B. Only with cotton clothing
• C. True
• D. False

Answer: (C)

Wet clothing dramatically increases heat loss from the body because water is a much better conductor of heat than dry air, and it enables evaporative cooling to pull heat away from the skin. When fabric is wet, heat flows from the body into the fabric and surrounding air far more quickly than with dry clothing, so the insulating layer is essentially compromised. In addition, as moisture in contact with the skin or fabric evaporates, it requires heat from the body to change from liquid to vapor, which cools the skin and speeds up overall heat loss. Wind can further accelerate this process by removing evaporated vapor and increasing convective heat transfer, which is why wet garments in windy, cold conditions pose a high risk of hypothermia. The statement uses a maximum figure to express how much faster heat can be lost when wet, acknowledging that the rate can be extremely high under the right conditions. Therefore, this is true.