Shoveling snow could be deadly
By Jo Jolly, BBC
A study looking at data from 1990 to 2006 by researchers at the U.S. Nationwide Children’s Hospital recorded 1,647 fatalities from cardiac-related injuries associated with shoveling snow. In Canada, these deaths make the news every winter.
Cardiologist Barry Franklin, an expert in the hazardous effects of snow removal, believes the number of deaths could be double that.
“I believe we lose hundreds of people each year because of this activity,” saysFranklin, director of preventative cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Hospital, Michigan.
His team found that when healthy young men shoveled snow, their heart rate and blood pressure increased more than when they exercised on a treadmill.
OK thanks for the warning, but the story is seriously lacking useful info except snow shoveling will kill you.
Fat, sedentary slobs drop dead all the time, especially fat, old sedentary slobs. A great loss but kind of asking for it. (But how can this be after 40 years of educating the public on the importance of eating right and exercising by our benevolent government.)
Sort of like driving 100 mph over Echo Summit in an old Dodge and expecting to arrive in Meyers intact and not a ball of twisted metal.
One more statistical thought. A 100 dead out of 100’s of millions snow shoveling occurrences per year doesn’t seem so high risk. A lot less risk than going for a Sunday afternoon drive especially if you ride motorcycles.
Is Dr. Franklin looking for another large taxpayer funded grant to do more worthless studies by having his PR people put out this tripe?
How about this for a warning to the prospective snow shovelers: Only young healthy folks in very good shape should undertake strenuous exercise or it may kill you. Fat, indolent, old types should never shovel snow.
Hey, I just saved 90 lives this year.
“shovelling to be so dangerous that he advises anyone over the age of 55 not to do it.” I’ve been saved. Dr. Excuse for not shoveling. Great article explaining numerous variables, epecially when multiple variables are present.