The ABC news television affiliate in Fresno reported last night that the death of a farmworker in the San Joaquin Valley two weeks ago may have been due to heat stress. The 54-year-old Mexican national died next to a packing house on the outskirts of Kettleman City.
A prolonged heat wave last summer prompted UC Cooperative Extension to gather information for the public about avoiding heat-related illnesses. Articles on the how the body handles heat and how to cope with heat are included in a heat stress media kit available online. A downloadable information card in pdf format has the basics in easy-to-read English and Spanish. In addition, audio messages about coping with heat may be accessed by calling UC's phone-in message system AsisTel at 1-800-514-4494.
The messages related to heat stress are:
No. 161- Why heat stress happens
No. 162 - How to avoid heat related illnesses
No. 163 - Employers role in combating workers’ heat stress
No. 164 - Heat stress doesn’t only happen in hot weather