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what's behind canada's high number of winter drownings?
research takes on new urgency as people get out into unfamiliar situations to escape the monotony of the pandemic.
nov 23 2020
4 minute read
a new study looked at drownings in several countries including canada.
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some of canada’s favourite outdoor activities are on thin ice as milder temperatures are making winter drownings a chilling reality.
a new study by york university researchers in toronto examined 4,000 drownings across 10 countries — including canada, finland, sweden, germany, russia and the u.s. — and found warmer winter air to be a reliable predictor of increased drownings among children and youths.
“the climate is changing, and winters are warming,” lead researcher sapna sharma, an associate professor at york university, told cbc news . “and as individuals, it’s really hard to put that into your everyday decision-making. being in canada you think, ‘oh, i’m going to the rideau canal in ottawa, and everybody goes skating on the rideau canal.’”
canada was found to have the highest number of winter drownings by the researchers who compared decades of data from every province and territory to that of the other countries in the study. the territories, where frozen surfaces are more heavily relied upon by residents, had the highest number of deaths per capita.
“the time when the risk of drowning is greatest is at the beginning and the end of winter, which also corresponds to the weakest ice, when it is less stable and less thick,” sharma said. “in this study, we also looked at who was drowning, when, and what kind of activities they were doing at the time. almost 50 per cent of drowning victims are children less than nine years old playing on the ice, while the majority of victims drowning while in vehicles, such as snowmobiles, are young adults less than 24 years old.”
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as winter air temperature rose to between -10 c and -5 c, researchers found drownings increased drastically, becoming five times more likely once reaching 0 c. as temperatures rose above 0 c, however, drownings began to decrease, likely because it became visibly obvious that the ice was no longer safe for use.
the effects of climate change have been undeniable, sharma said. “because we also examine trends in lake ice over hundreds of years, we know that ice on is much later in the season and ice off is much earlier,” she said. “we are seeing these trends in lakes and rivers across the northern hemisphere and we found that the highest number of drowning events correspond to these times of ice-off and ice-on.
“lake ice is important as we have strong traditions for going out on the ice to skate or ice fish, and for some, it’s important for survival, such as through the construction of ice roads in northern communities that are the only way to get resources in the winter.”
the research has taken on new urgency amid a global pandemic that has forced more people into unfamiliar situations in a desperate attempt to escape the monotony of isolation. “it might be the first year that they’re going out, like exploring nature, because there’s nothing else to do,” sharma said.
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<p style=”font-size:60px”>what if you fall through ice?</p>
according to outdoor canada , it only takes 10 minutes to lose the use of your arms and legs in frigid water, with hypothermia and a loss of consciousness not far behind. if you have fallen through the ice, try to remain calm — the cold shock you experience will only last about a minute — and focus on breathing. do not remove any articles of clothing as they are still keeping your temperature from dropping and helping you stay afloat via trapped air bubbles.
try to maneuver yourself into a horizontal position and kick as strenuously as possible back in the direction you came, reaching out along the ice for handholds, without pushing down. keep kicking while trying to propel yourself out. once on the ice, stay on your stomach to keep your weight as spread out as possible and slowly pull yourself toward the shore.
if you make it out of the ice, the site recommends seeking shelter if it is less than 30 minutes away or staying put and waiting for help — and not risking hypothermia — if not.
researchers found that countries with clear regulations about who can go on the ice, and when, such as germany and italy, had fewer winter drownings. they recommend making winter ice safety a part of swimming lessons as well as incorporating knowledge from indigenous communities, which have much more experience and skill traversing frozen surfaces.
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“times have changed and climate has changed,” sharma said. “winters are among the fastest warming season, especially in northern countries, and we’re seeing the impacts of that on our lakes, and it’s also contributing to tragedies each winter.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca.
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