Steam produces more severe burns than boiling water, even though both are at the same temperature of 100°C. This is because steam contains the extra latent heat of vaporization, which is the amount of heat energy required to change a unit mass of liquid into vapor at atmospheric pressure at its boiling point. Boiling water contains only a specific amount of heat energy required for it to boil, while steam contains the heat energy required to vaporize the water. Therefore, when steam comes into contact with skin, it releases more energy than boiling water, causing more severe burns.