Parry Sound is set to see temperatures drop to –28 overnight and the public is being warned of the risk of frostbite.
Hayley Redman with the Parry Sound District Paramedic Services says with the plummeting temperatures, people need to be aware of how it occurs, what can happen and how serious it could be.
“Frostbite firstly is an injury caused by freezing skin, which I think most people know. What they may not know is how it occurs and how rapidly it can occur. It happens on exposed skin, usually, but it can also happen to areas that are not adequately covered, or if you’re covered by something that’s wet,” she says.
Redman says that means if you’re shoveling snow and your gloves are wet, then your fingers are at a risk of frostbite. She says the first thing people will notice is cold skin and that prickly feeling that we get when our on our skin gets very cold.
“But it will progress from that to numbness, that’s when it becomes a little more dangerous because people may not realize that the exposed skin is actually being affected. The other worrying thing is that usually the most vulnerable areas of our skin that would be affected are on our face, our ears, our nose and our chin, and those are areas that may not be noticed by the person themselves,” she says.
Redman says you might not know you have frostbite until someone points that out to you. She says especially if you’re outside shoveling and your body is warm, then you may not notice frostbite setting in to the point where it’s quite severe and the skin has become hard or waxy looking, or in severe cases will turn black.
“These injuries can occur when temperatures reach -15. And if you’re outside at -15 for 30 minutes, you’re definitely at risk of frostbite. We’re expecting temperatures lower than that and when you add in the wind chill then it becomes much more serious,” she says.
Redman says another thing to keep in mind is that other factors can increase the risk of frostbite. She says there are medical conditions that can affect your ability to be frostbitten and increase the risk like diabetes and any conditions that affect the blood flow to your limbs.
“Someone who has excessive sweating that causes moisture on their skin, they are at more risk. People who have issues with alcohol or drug use, smokers, and if you have been previously frostbitten,” she says.
As for the course of action if you think you have frostbite, Redman says early signs where your skin is tingling and it’s a little red is more known as frost nip, the precursor to frostbite.
“That will alleviate with some gentle warming. I wouldn’t recommend submerging frostbitten fingers into hot water but gentle warming. And you’ll know if you’ve been frostniped because as you warm those areas up, they’ll be quite painful,” she says.
Beyond that, she says if you’ve experienced some numbness, or that skin is hard, white or waxy, or if blisters appear on the skin after warming, then it’s time to seek medical attention and a visit to the emergency room would be recommended.
Redman says people should take it easy, move the snow that you can, move it safely, don’t overexert yourself and keep an eye on the time and go back inside to warm up regularly.