Beyond Water, Rest, and Shade: Advancing Farmworker Heat Protection Through Partnership
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Heat affects farmworker health and productivity. As occupational heat exposure intensifies, cooling devices that extract body heat could protect farmworkers. Companies already market many such technologies to athletes. However, few studies have evaluated their effectiveness, particularly among farmworkers, for whom field-feasibility, workflow integration, and cost-at-scale are critical. In this commentary, we first describe how heat affects farmworker health and review current heat illness prevention standards. We then highlight how cooling devices can augment existing measures and underscore the critical need to test their effectiveness, adaptability, and cost-benefit among farmworkers. Advancing this work requires addressing valid yet surmountable research barriers and building trusted partnerships among researchers, farmworkers, employers, and policymakers. As heat interrupts an increasing number of workdays over time, effective cooling strategies during outdoor work will prove critical to sustaining our nation's food supply.
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.70105
Authors: Astrid Elliott, Shuchi Anand, H. Craig Heller, Ernesto Orellana, Marimar Contreras Nieves, Catherine Ley, Maria Montez Rath, Xue Yu, Duff Bevill, Lupita Flores, Douglas Casa, Roxana Chicas, Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Heather Riden, Fadi A. Fathallah, Jason Glaser, Margaret C. Morrissey‐Basler, Julie Parsonnet
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164904912