Experts have warning about dangers of extreme cold, frostbite

CHICAGO (CBS) -- In brutal wind chills as the Chicago area was experiencing Friday night, it only takes about 10 minutes of being exposed outside before it becomes extremely dangerous to your body.

CBS 2's Marybel González spoke to some doctors on what you can do to stay safe.

There's cold – and then there's bitter cold. Subzero air temperatures with double-digit negative wind chills constitute the latter – and it's dangerous.

"These are dangerously unsafe conditions," said emergency medicine physician Dr. George Chiampas. "Be prepared."

Chiampas said right now is not a time to let your guard down.

"Try to keep it to a minimum of about 5 to 10 minutes where you're actually exposing yourself to these temperatures, secondly, if you are planning on being outside," he said.

Layering while outside is also a must.

"That means make you're wearing a hat, make sure you're covering even your face, having gloves," Chiampas said.

Shoveling snow should be done in intervals, and exertion should be limited.

"For those individuals who really haven't necessarily exerted themselves - especially folks that may be a little bit older and have some underlying cardiac risk factors – really going from zero to 150, 180 with cold temperatures can put a lot of strain on your heart," Chiampas said.

So steady and slow is best, Chiampas said – especially to avoid any falls.

Luckily, it seems people have been taking precautions. We checked with our area hospitals, and Cook County Health hospitals have only seen about 25 cases of cold-related injuries so far since Thursday.

However, experts say that number could go up in the coming days.

González: "So it's totally possible that you could get frostbite — some degree of frostbite — now, and not see it for days later?"

Chiampas: "Without question. You may be outside today for an hour, think that that's okay, have pain in your fingertips or in your toes - and then over the next three, four, five days, that tissue destruction or death to the tissue happens."

So it is important to track any symptoms that seem out-of-the-ordinary.

"Any discoloration or persistent pain that is not improving once they are indoors and in warmer conditions, those are individuals that should probably seek medical attention," Chiampas said.