Cold Stress Illnesses & Injuries

Types of cold stress include hypothermia, frostbite, and chilblains. The severity of the cold stress illness or injury depends on the temperature, wind chill, duration of exposure, predetermined risk factors, and exposure to cold water.

Early warning signs of cold stress include the following:

• Physical discomfort
• Possible injuries, such as a pulled muscle
• Loss of feeling and dexterity in the fingers, hands, and toes
• Frostnip (when the outermost layers of skin turn white)
• Mental changes (loss of alertness, slurred speech, fatigue, lethargy)

Advanced warning signs of cold stress include the following:

• Extreme discomfort
• Extreme shivering
• Severe hypothermia
• Frostbite
• Loss of consciousness
• Heart failure

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