Lactate levels above 10 mmol/L are associated with severe discomfort and a feeling of impending death due to severe acidosis.

“obviously after a very intense bout of exercise not surprisingly anybody who's measured lactate in themselves anything over 10 is a very very uncomfortable situation to be in let's go back and talk about what's going on and where my discomfort comes from because it's not the lactate that's causing me discomfort correct no lactate is there to moderate it's a strain response it's helping to protect you but you probably are have a severe acidosis I'm feeling like I'm about to die because my pH is probably 7.05 or something like that”