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Farmworker Clings To LIfe After Heat Stroke

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Jul 16, 2008 11:27 am US/Pacific

Farmworker Clings To LIfe After Heat Stroke

BAKERSFIELD (AP) ― State officials say a vineyard worker who collapsed during a heat wave last week is still in critical condition in a Bakersfield hospital.

According to the United Farmworkers Union, 37-seven-year-old Jorge Herrera suffered brain, lung and kidney damage and is breathing with a respirator.

Herrera worked for a labor contractor and was loading table grapes when he passed out July 10. His core body temperature was 108 degrees, the same as the high temperature reported that day by the National Weather Service.

A spokesman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health says the agency is investigating Herrera's collapse, as well as three heat-related deaths this summer.

The agency also has conducted 659 inspections and issued 348 citations at farms failing to follow laws protecting farmworkers from extreme heat.

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