WASHINGTON — Heat kills crop workers at nearly 20 times the rate of other U.S. workers, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday.
Fatality rates were highest in North Carolina, followed by Florida and California, the CDC found.
The CDC report, which reviewed 423 deaths from 1992 through 2006, is the most comprehensive nationwide look at heat-related fatalities.
They are generally caused by heat stroke or injuries resulting from heat-induced nausea and confusion.
The greatest number of heat-related deaths was in construction, the CDC found, but the highest rate of deaths was among crop workers.
Their rate was 0.39 per 100,000 workers per year, compared with 0.02 for other U.S. workers.
North Carolina’s heat-related death rate was 2.36 per 100,000 workers per year. Florida’s was 0.74, and California’s 0.49. No rates were provided for the 21 other states that had one or more reported deaths related to heat.
