TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Heat-related deaths among high school and college football players in the United States nearly tripled between 1994 and 2009, according to a new study.
An average of nearly three players died each year during that time period -- up from about one death per year during the previous 15 years -- with six deaths occurring in Georgia alone, the most of any state.
The University of Georgia researchers analyzed weather conditions, along with information on all 58 athletes who died of hyperthermia (overheating) during football practice. Specifically, they examined the temperature, humidity and time of day of the incident, as well as the players' height, weight and position.
The study, published recently in the International Journal of Biometeorology, found that morning heat indexes were higher from 1994 to 2009 than they were in the preceding 15 years.
"In general, on days the deaths occurred, the temperature was hotter and the air more humid than normal local conditions," senior study author Andrew Grundstein, a climatologist and associate professor of geography at the University of Georgia, said in a university news release.
More than half of the players got sick on days when practice was held in the morning and ended before noon. Most of the deaths occurred in August, when many coaches intensified preseason training.
Researchers used wet bulb globe temperature, developed by the American College of Sports medicine, which takes into account air temperature, players' ability to be cooled through evaporation and the amount of solar radiation absorbed by players' skin. They also used the U.S. National Weather Service's heat index. The authors noted limitations to the study, however, such as that neither of these methods used to measure temperature account for the added heat caused by football pads and helmets.
"We all want a single magic number to indicate the heat threshold," Grundstein said. "But so many factors contribute to heat stress that it's impossible to draw the line at a single temperature."
The researchers said coaches should take the following steps to avoid heat illness among players:
Know the true temperature outdoors. Make sure players ramp up their workouts slowly over time so they can acclimate to outdoor temperatures. Remind trained staff members to watch for signs of hyperthermia among players. Have an emergency management plan in place to address heat-related illness immediately.The researchers said body-mass index (BMI) -- a measure of body fat based on height and weight -- also could have played a role in the increase in player deaths. The study showed football players have gotten bigger since 1980, which could make them more susceptible to hyperthermia. Of the players who died, 86 percent were linemen, who tend to have a higher BMI than other players.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas 
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University of Georgia, news release, Feb. 27, 2012
For the sixth year in a row, Senator Baucus of Montana proposed legislation designating the first week of April as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Baucus continues to introduce the resolution to honor the nearly 300 people who died in Libby, Montana from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Libby, Montana is the site of the W.R. Grace mine and mill that shut down in 1990 and is blamed for widespread contamination from asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a known carcinogen and is proven to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a serious cancer caused by breathing in the asbestos fibers that then become lodged in the thin membrane that lines and encases the lungs. Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many cancer treatments.
Senate resolution 389 urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about the public health hazard of asbestos exposure. The resolution cites the facts that asbestos is a known cause of occupational cancer; thousands of workers in the U.S. face significant asbestos exposure; and a significant percentage of all asbestos-related disease victims were exposed to asbestos on naval ships and in shipyards.
“Although we can never fully right the outrageous wrong that took place in Libby, we can fight to make sure the community has the tools it needs to heal. And, we can keep working hard to make sure the public is aware of the tragic impact of asbestos exposure,” said Baucus in a press release announcing the passage of the resolution.
Baucus was instrumental in urging the EPA to declare its first ever public health emergency in Libby, Montana. The declaration requires the federal government to offer screenings and health care for Libby residents as well as authorizing cleanup work in homes and other structures.
The resolution points out that the expected survival of people diagnosed with mesothelioma varies from 6 to 24 months. Most often diagnoses are not made until symptoms appear and the disease has progressed to an advanced stage leaving the patient with life-threatening complications. Early detection of asbestos-related disease may give some patients additional treatment options.
About 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States.