BY NORM FENTON
Each year, the public, sadly, becomes aware of employees or athletes who have suffered some form of heat-related illness. Heat-related illnesses include heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke—medical emergencies that, in the absence of prompt intervention, can lead to loss of consciousness or more permanent serious medical conditions such as neurologic, cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal, hematologic, or muscle dysfunction and, subsequently, death.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data, 230 heat-related deaths have occurred from 2003-2009. Over that same time period, there have been 15,370 heat-related injuries/illnesses that required days away from work. The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reported there were 127 deaths from heat stroke in football from 1960 to 2009. Since 1995, 46 football players (35 high school, eight college, two professional, and one sandlot) died of heat stroke. However, these figures probably should be higher, as these types of injuries are underreported.
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