Cold water still a danger
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The drowning of a University of Minnesota student while attempting to retrieve an errant soccer ball over Easter weekend is a tragic reminder of the serious danger posed by cold water.
Each year several Minnesotans fall victim to the deadly effects of icy water in the spring.
Sometimes it is a canoeist or kayaker who capsizes a craft. Other times an early-season angler falls overboard or swims to retrieve a boat drifting away from a landing. Sometimes it is a playful child who tumbles into a lake or stream.
“It really doesn’t matter how good your swimming skills are if you are not wearing a life vest,” said Tim Smalley, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) water safety specialist. “Even an Olympic-class swimmer would have a difficult time making it more than a few dozen yards in 40 to 65 degree water. Cold water robs body heat 25 times faster than air of the same temperature. Just try holding your hand in a bucket of ice water for more than a couple of minutes to see what I mean.”
When a victim’s head submerges, such as after falling overboard from a boat or struggling while swimming in cold water, it can cause an involuntary gasp reflex. The person inhales underwater and can drown without coming back to the surface, unless the victim is wearing a life jacket.
Exposure of the head and chest to cold water causes sudden increases in heart rate and blood pressure that may result in cardiac arrest. Foam insulation in a life vest can help shield the heart, lungs and other vital organs from the debilitating effects of the cold, at least for a while.
Hypothermia, the cooling of the victim’s inner core temperature, has also taken its share of victims.
“Over a period of time in the water, the immersed victim gets colder and colder, making staying afloat more and more difficult as the muscles stiffen up,” Smalley noted. “Even when wearing a life jacket, survival can become quite difficult unless rescuers happen by within an hour or so.”
People rescued from cold water immersion, in all but the mildest hypothermia cases, should be treated by medical professionals. As hypothermia victims start to rewarm, cold blood trapped in the extremities can rush back to the heart causing cardiac arrest and death unless medical staff is on hand. Hypothermia victims should also be treated gently to avoid cardiac arrhythmia induced by rough handling. No alcohol or drinks with caffeine should be given.
Smalley said the best advice is for people to avoid situations intentionally entering or accidentally falling into cold water, to have a survival plan in case they do.
People should not swim after a boat or other object drifting away from shore, Smalley said. They should try to get back into or on top of a capsized boat immediately. If they are unable to get out of the water, but are wearing a life vest, they should try to stay as still as possible.
Any movement pumps cold water through clothing and over skin, cooling people off even faster. To help conserve body heat, Smalley suggests people fold their arms across their chest, cross their legs, tuck their knees toward their chest and float on the buoyancy of their life vest until help arrives.
“Always boat near shore and with other boats in the immediate area so if you do get into trouble, your chances of rescue are improved,” Smalley advised.
For more information about the dangers associated with cold water, the DNR has a free booklet titled “Hypothermia, the Cold Facts.” It is available by calling (651) 296-6157, toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367) or by e-mail at [email protected].
The booklet can also be downloaded from the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/boating. Click on “boat and water safety program,” then on “publications.”