Migrant farmworker housing offers no relief from heat: study

Winston-Salem, NC – Housing for migrant farmworkers may not provide adequate relief from hot temperatures, reducing workers’ ability to rest and recover from work exposure to heat, according to a new study from the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Researchers measured the heat index in common areas and sleeping rooms at 170 farmworker camps in North Carolina during a summer. The heat index in most rooms was “dangerous” regardless of the time of the day and air conditioner use, the study abstract states.

Researchers recommended the development of policies to reduce heat indexes in farmworker housing, which they noted is often provided by employers.

The study was published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.