MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — Many farms, from vertical farming startups to traditional specialty crop growers, are marketing greenhouses as a way to shelter crops from climate extremes. But overlooked are the experiences of workers inside, who may swelter under high heat and humidity.
The number of greenhouse and nursery workers has increased by over 16,000 in recent years, according to the latest U.S. agricultural census, and there are still no federal heat rules to protect them.
The data, along with stories of current and former greenhouse workers, shows a growing population of people increasingly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, injuries and death as global temperatures rise and greenhouses become more popular. Here’s what to know from AP’s report. Heat and humidity, a dangerous combination Heat combined with humidity makes it harder for sweat to evaporate to cool the body, creating a potentially more dangerous scenario.
Eulalia Mendoza said temperatures could spike between 105 and 115 degrees (41 to 46 C) in the summer inside the California greenhouse she worked in. She described being drenched in sweat and suffering from heat illness — headaches, nausea, ceasing to sweat. Other workers across the U.
S. described losing weight, dizziness and fainting from extreme heat. In those conditions, workers who don’t get enough breaks in cooler environments, whose shifts are not pushed earlier or later in the summer and whose managers ignore their concerns are the most at ris.