Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
With extreme cold continuing to flow through the area from the Artic for the foreseeable future, and with the frequent snowstorms, the West Virginia Department of Health is urging residents to take extra precautions and prioritize safety when shoveling snow or performing other outside activities.
“It’s so important to dress warm to prevent hypothermia when outside, but that’s not the only concern,” explained Sherri A. Young, Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Health. “While we think of battling a red nose, cold fingers, or numb feet when outside, we must also be mind- ful of all the weather-related dangers in these situations. What we can’t see is that colder temperatures make the heart work harder to keep the body’s temperature up. We are urging anyone who is planning on working outside to take precautions to protect themselves and their health.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that an estimated 100 people die each year from shoveling snow. Those with high blood pressure or heart disease are at an elevated risk of heart attack when performing strenuous exercise in the cold. The CDC suggests taking the following five steps before shoveling snow in cold weather to prioritize health and safety:
1. Check the weather, temperature and wind chill before setting foot outside.
2. Dress in layers of loose-fitting clothing.
3. Use the right tool and the proper technique. Choose a shovel with a small, plastic blade as it will weigh less than a shovel with a metal blade. Use a proper shoveling technique to reduce strain on the body. Try pushing the snow rather than lifting and throwing it.
4. Take breaks to catch your breath and drink water.
5. Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature, is a dangerous condition that can occur when a person is exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Symptoms in adults include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, slurred speech, and drowsiness. Seek immediate medical attention if a person’s temperature is below 95°F.
Signs of a heart attack may include chest discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Discomfort in arms, neck, jaw or stomach may also signal a heart attack. Additional symptoms include shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness. Call 911 immediately if any of these are present.
If someone is experiencing hypothermia, a drop in temperature and medical help is not immediately available, the CDC recommends the following actions be taken:
• Get the person into a warm room or shelter.
• Remove any wet clothing the person is wearing.
• Warm the center of the person’s body—chest, neck, head, and groin—using an electric blanket, if available.
• Increase body temperature with warm drinks; however, do not give alcoholic drinks and do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
• Keep the person dry and wrap their body, including their head and neck, in a warm blanket after body temperature has increased.
Let’s all be safe out there this winter.
