By WMBD TV
BLOOMINGTON – This weather is no joke, especially when it comes to what the dangers can be to your health.
As our meteorologists have reported, Tuesday was cold, reaching a low air temperature of negative nine degrees and a windchill of negative 25 degrees.
Dangers
Because of how cold it was, many schools such as Morton, Tremont and Washington called the day off, along with Illinois Central College and Illinois State University canceling classes.
Dr. Stephanie Lindstrom, associate chief medical officer for Carle Health Ambulatory Practices, said even a short time outside in this weather could turn bad for your health.
“It only takes thirty minutes for frostbite to impact exposed skin,” she said. “So if you think, ‘Well, I’m just going to be out for a little bit,’ and it turns out to be a little bit longer than you thought, you could be in real danger.”
Lindstrom also said the colder you are, the worse it could be.
“Any time the body temperature goes lower than ninety-five degrees, you’re at significant risk for hypothermia,” she said. “Again, keeping those warm clothes on, keeping your core warm is going to be important to prevent that.”
She recommends wearing a heavy jacket and good boots with traction while out in the cold.
Advice from First Responders
With the cold, comes finding ways of getting heat, such as kicking on the furnace or using a space heater.
Capt. Frank Friend, public information education officer for the Bloomington Fire Department, said January is statistically when they see the highest number of space heater fires.
“We want to make sure that people are keeping three feet space around that space heater, not to keep them plugged in for extended period of time or leave them by themselves,” he said. “We want to make sure that you’re plugging them directly into an outlet and not into a power strip.”
Friend said people should also be aware of carbon monoxide and how to keep yourself safe from it.
“The second thing that we’re worried about is carbon monoxide poisoning,” he said. “So that is a colorless, odorless gas. It starts to affect you by dizziness, nausea, headache. We want to make sure that folks have a carbon monoxide alarm on hand. They test it and make sure that it’s functioning.”
He said not to write those symptoms off, as they can be similar to the cold or flu. Friend wants you to be careful around your car door as well, as it can knock you down if impacted by wind.
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