Burning Up

They Leave Their Kidneys in the Fields ◽

10.1525/california/9780520283268.003.0003 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Bronwen Horton

Keyword(s):

Heat Wave ◽

Heat Illness ◽

Migrant Farmworkers ◽

Health It ◽

Fresno County ◽

Early Symptoms ◽

Heat Death ◽

Male Honor

Taking the reader on an ethnographic tour of the melon harvesting fields during a historic heat wave in Fresno County, this chapter provides a close-up examination of how the organization of labor crews forces migrant farmworkers to privilege their work about their health. It shows that subcontracting intensifies the labor demands placed on field hands by creating a hierarchy of descending pressures on labor crews. To maximize field hands’ productivity, labor supervisors strategically draw upon a code of male honor to impugn men’s virility when they become ill while harvesting. Meanwhile, migrant men on labor crews discipline each other and themselves as they buy into this code of masculinity. As they work through the early symptoms of heat illness, their silence expedites the transfer of value to their employers even as it increases their risk of heat death.

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Introduction

They Leave Their Kidneys in the Fields ◽

10.1525/california/9780520283268.003.0001 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Bronwen Horton

Keyword(s):

Chronic Illness ◽

Vulnerable Populations ◽

Cardiovascular Mortality ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Public Policies ◽

Social Assistance ◽

Natural Phenomenon ◽

Migrant Farmworkers ◽

Heat Death ◽

Shed Light

Why do farmworkers experience heat death more frequently than other outdoor workers, and why are migrant men at particular risk? While heat death may appear a “natural” phenomenon, this book instead implicates U.S. public policies in its production. Drawing upon nearly a decade of ethnography with the same 15 migrant farmworkers, this book examines the way that U.S. labor and immigration policies place them at particular risk in the fields, even as health and social assistance policies offer them little succor when their bodies begin to decline. Yet this book is not about heat death alone; instead, it uses the phenomenon to shed light on migrant farmworkers’ higher burden of chronic illness and cardiovascular mortality at home as well. The introduction addresses the ethical and logistical challenges posed by conducting longitudinal research with vulnerable populations such as migrant farmworkers and makes the case for an advocacy anthropology.

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Knowledge of Heat-Related Illness First Aid and Self-Reported Hydration and Heat-Related Illness Symptoms in Migrant Farmworkers

Workplace Health & Safety ◽

10.1177/2165079920934478 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 15-21

Author(s):

Daniel J. Smith ◽

Erin P. Ferranti ◽

Vicki S. Hertzberg ◽

Valerie Mac

Keyword(s):

Health Program ◽

Family Health ◽

High Heat ◽

First Aid ◽

Work Environments ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Heat Illness ◽

Migrant Farmworkers ◽

Muscle Cramps ◽

Family Health Program

Background: Outdoor workers are exposed to hot work environments and are at risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of migrant farmworkers about first aid for heat-related illness (HRI) symptoms. Methods: The authors recruited 60 migrant farmworkers out of 66 who were approached from vegetable farms in Georgia. They were workers who participated in the 2018 Farmworker Family Health Program (FWFHP). The authors surveyed the workers to assess demographics, prevalence of HRI symptoms, hydration practices, and knowledge of HRI first aid. Descriptive statistics for worker demographics, HRI symptoms, and hydration data were calculated, as were the percentages of correctly answered pilot questions. Findings: Of the 60 workers who chose to participate in this study, more than 50% incorrectly answered pilot questions related to their knowledge of HRI first aid. The two most common HRI symptoms reported were heavy sweating and muscle cramps. More than two thirds reported experiencing at least one HRI symptom during the workday. Mean liquid consumption within this sample was 72.95 oz per day, which is much less than the recommended 32 oz per hour. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Until larger structural change can occur to protect farmworkers, farm owners can prevent morbidity and mortality from inadequate hydration practices and working in high-heat conditions by providing migrant farmworkers with training in heat-related first aid. Appropriate heat-illness interventions should focus on first aid measures to reduce morbidity and mortality related to heat illness in farmworkers.

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Characteristics of Prehospital Heat Illness Cases During the Annual Heat Wave Period in Telangana, India

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x21000583 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Gayathri Devi Nadarajan ◽

GV Ramana Rao ◽

Keshav Reddy ◽

Aruna Gimkala ◽

Rani Janumpally ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Wave ◽

Heat Waves ◽

First Responders ◽

Poverty Line ◽

Income Group ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Prehospital Setting ◽

Wave Period ◽

Prehospital Emergency Care ◽

Heat Illness

Abstract Objectives: Global warming and more intense heat wave periods impact health. Heat illness during heat waves has not been studied in the prehospital setting of a low- and middle-income country (LMIC). Early intervention in the community and in the prehospital setting can improve outcomes. Hence, this paper aims to describe the characteristics of heat illness patients utilizing the ambulance service in Telangana state, India with the aim of optimizing public prevention and first aid strategies and prehospital response to this growing problem. Methods: This retrospective observational study reviewed patients presenting to Telangana’s prehospital emergency care system with heat illness symptoms during the heat wave period from March through June in 2018 and 2019. Descriptive analysis was done on the prehospital, dispatch, and environmental data looking at the patients’ characteristics and prehospital intervention. Results: There were 295 cases in 2018 and 230 cases in 2019 from March-June. The overall incidence of calls with heat illness symptoms was 1.5 cases per 100,000 people. The Scheduled Tribes (ST) had the highest incidence of 4.5 per 100,000 people. Over 96% were from the white income group (below poverty line) while two percent were from the pink income group (above poverty line). From geospatial mapping of the cases, the highest incidence of calls came from the rural, tribal areas. However, the time to response in rural areas was longer than that in an urban area. Males with an average age of 47 were more likely to be affected. The three most common symptoms recorded by the first responders were vomiting (44.4%), general weakness (28.7%), and diarrhea (15.9%). The three most common medical interventions on scene were oxygen therapy (35.1%), oral rehydration salt (ORS) solution administration (26.9%), and intravenous fluid administration (27.0%), with cold sponging infrequently mentioned. Conclusion: This descriptive study provides a snapshot of the regions and groups of people most affected by heat illness during heat waves and the heterogeneous symptom presentation and challenges with management in the prehospital setting. These data may aid planning of prehospital resources and preparation of community first responders during heat wave periods.

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