Occupation and Environmental Heat-Associated Deaths in Maricopa County, Arizona: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

BackgroundPrior research shows that work in agriculture and construction/extraction occupations increases the risk of environmental heat-associated death.PurposeTo assess the risk of environmental heat-associated death by occupation.MethodsThis was a case-control study. Cases were heat-caused and heat-related deaths occurring from May-October during the period 2002–2009 in Maricopa County, Arizona. Controls were selected at random from non-heat-associated deaths during the same period in Maricopa County. Information on occupation, age, sex, and race-ethnicity was obtained from death certificates. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios for heat-associated death.ResultsThere were 444 cases of heat-associated deaths in adults (18+ years) and 925 adult controls. Of heat-associated deaths, 332 (75%) occurred in men; a construction/extraction or agriculture occupation was described on the death certificate in 115 (35%) of these men. In men, the age-adjusted odds ratios for heat-associated death were 2.32 (95% confidence interval 1.55, 3.48) in association with construction/extraction and 3.50 (95% confidence interval 1.94, 6.32) in association with agriculture occupations. The odds ratio for heat-associated death was 10.17 (95% confidence interval 5.38, 19.23) in men with unknown occupation. In women, the age-adjusted odds ratio for heat-associated death was 6.32 (95% confidence interval 1.48, 27.08) in association with unknown occupation. Men age 65 years and older in agriculture occupations were at especially high risk of heat-associated death.ConclusionThe occurrence of environmental heat-associated death in men in agriculture and construction/extraction occupations in a setting with predictable periods of high summer temperatures presents opportunities for prevention.

Air temperature exposure and agricultural occupational injuries in the Autonomous Province of Trento (2000–2013, North-Eastern Italy)

“…Evidence suggests that the exposure to high environmental temperatures not only affects workers' capability to undertake physical activities without harm, especially in subjects with pre-existing illnesses [2,5,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24] but high temperatures would significantly hamper cognition and concentration of the workers, reducing vigilance and increasing fatigue: as a consequence, working during warm weather would also ultimately increase the risk of mistakes, accidents and occupational injuries (OIs) [14,[25][26][27][28][29]. The risk of heat-related health effects appears to be significantly increased in outdoors workers such as agricultural workers (AWs), for several reasons [5,30,31].…”

Heat Death Associations with the built environment, social vulnerability and their interactions with rising temperature

“…Thirteen census variables previously shown to contribute to social vulnerability during heat waves were selected as the socioeconomic predictor variables (Knowlton et al, 2009;Basu, 2009;Reid et al, 2009;Semenza et al, 1996;Harlan et al, 2006;Petitti et al, 2013;Cooley et al, 2012;Uejio et al, 2011;Chow et al, 2012). The 2012 American Community Survey's 5-year estimates were used to extract census-level data for the 911 census tracts in Maricopa County.…”

Metabolic and Kidney Diseases in the Setting of Climate Change, Water Shortage, and Survival Factors

“…[75][76][77] In 2015, .1400 deaths occurred from heat stroke in Andhra Pradesh, India. 78 In a case-control study performed in Arizona, the risk for heat-associated death was 3.5-fold among agricultural workers and 2.3-fold in construction workers, and it was disproportionately higher in Native American and Hispanic American men.…”