Why is it that we can breathe in steam/water vapor, and not worry about small amounts of water getting into our lungs?

Question

I take a lot of hot showers, and sometimes I find myself wondering why I am able to breathe in the steam around me and not worry about any water-in-lungs related health concerns. How is breathing in steam different than breathing in small amounts of water droplets?

In: 6500

Answer 1

I just want to point out that if you were to inhale actual saturated steam (not water vapor), you would scald your mouth, throat, and lungs as saturated steam is 100C at atmospheric pressure (that’s 212 in freedom units).