CDC sees high rate of crop worker heat deaths

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Crop workers are dying of heat stroke at a rate far higher than the overall U.S. work force with foreign-born workers at greatest risk, although the deaths remain relatively uncommon, officials said on Thursday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked heat-related deaths of crop workers from 1992 to 2006 based on government data, finding that these deaths seem to be rising.

U.S. agriculture relies heavily on foreign workers to pick fruit and field crops.

They work long hours in hot summer months exposed to the sun. They also may wear extra clothing and equipment to protect against pesticide poisoning or other hazards, raising the risk of over-heating.

From 2003 to 2006, about 70 percent (20 of 28) of the crop workers who died from heat stroke were from Mexico or Central and South America, the CDC said.

In all, 68 crop workers died from heat stroke from 1992 to 2006, representing a rate nearly 20 times greater than for all civilian workers.

"Although heat-related deaths of crop workers are relatively rare, such deaths are preventable, and it is important to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to ensure that workers who toil to put food on our tables are not placed at unnecessary risk," Dawn Castillo of the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health told reporters.

The CDC said 21 states reported heat-related deaths. California, Florida and North Carolina had the majority.

Very high body temperatures can damage the brain or other organs.

Castillo urged employers and workers to be aware of the need for preventive steps such as drinking enough fluids, having breaks from work in shaded areas and providing prompt medical attention to anyone who shows signs of heat illness.

(Editing by Alan Elsner and Julie Steenhuysen)