摘要：Although the health risk to farmworkers of working in hot conditions is recognized, potential for excessive heat exposure in housing affecting rest and recovery has been ignored. We assessed heat index in common and sleeping rooms in 170 North Carolina farmworker camps across a summer and examined associations with time of summer and air conditioning use. We recorded dangerous heat indexes in most rooms, regardless of time or air conditioning. Policies to reduce heat indexes in farmworker housing should be developed. Physical work in hot, humid conditions poses significant health risks for farmworkers. 1 Crop workers report working in extreme heat 2 ; they suffer heat-related death at rates higher than other US workers. 3 The dangers of heat illness are recognized in several states by heat standards, which prescribe shaded rest breaks during hot weather and education to encourage drinking adequate water. 4,5 Daily recovery helps reduce negative effects of heat on health. Among farmworkers, the potential for recovery is determined largely by their ability to spend nonworking time in cooler conditions, including breaks during the day and overnight. Studies of farmworker housing 6–11 have not directly addressed its potential impact on health through the temperature and humidity found in housing and their implications for recovery. We examined data collected across a summer in North Carolina farmworker camps. The goal was to describe the burden of heat experienced by migrant farmworkers in grower-provided housing in North Carolina and the effect fans or air conditioning (AC) might have on providing relief.
