–200 CDC WONDER. ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat and hyperthermia.[1]

–137 Blanchard tally of State breakouts below.

Arizona (10) CDC Wonder ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat search.

Arkansas (10)

–10 State. CDC Wonder ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat search.

— 1 Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, July 9. Heatstroke; male, 79, while mowing his lawn.[2]

— 1 Pine Bluff, Jefferson Co., Aug 5. Heat-related; baby boy, 7-weeks, in crib; 91° in house.[3]

California (21) CDC Wonder ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat search.

Florida ( 5)

— 5 Lushine. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Figure 3.[4]

Georgia ( 1)

— 1 Atlanta, Aug 6. Heatstroke; male, 38, bridge construction worker; 95° day, 82% humidity.[5]

Illinois (12) CDC Wonder ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat search.

Louisiana ( 1)

— 1 Mer Rouge, June 5. Heat exhaustion; male laborer, laying pipe below ground, 94° day.[6]

Missouri (10)

–10 MO DHSS. Data & Statistical Rpts. “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri 1980-2013.”

North Carolina ( 6)

— 6 Mirabelli and Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” AJPH, April 2005.

Oklahoma ( 2)

— 2 Garwe (OK Dept Health). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001,” 5-31-2002, p.1.[7]

— 1 Sallisaw, Sequoyah County. Excessive heat; male, 33, collapsed raking hay in a field.[8]

Pennsylvania (31)

— 31 Philadelphia, July. AP. “Health officials seek to prevent heat stress.” 8-30-1991.[9]

–25-30 Philly, ~July 19-27. Daily News, Philadelphia. “Heat Wave Death Toll…” 7-29-1991.[10]

— 25 Philadelphia, July 15-25. NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991, p. 139.

— 25 Philly, July 18-24. AP. “Heat Wave Death Toll Doubles in Philly…” 8-12-1993, p1.

South Carolina ( 1)

— 1 Duncan, Spartanburg Co., July 24. Heatstroke, male, 44; non-air-conditioned warehouse worker.[11]

South Dakota ( 1)

— 1 Wagner, June 28. Hyperthermia leads to heart attack; male, highway construction laborer.[12]

Texas (25)

–25 State. CDC Wonder ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat search.

— 1 Hondo, Aug 27. Heat stress; male construction worker; cement-related work. OSHA.[13]

— 1 Madisonville, July 26. Heatstroke leading to cardiac arrest; male oil rig worker. OSHA.[14]

Virginia ( 1)

— 1 Manassas, June 30. Heat exhaustion; male garbage truck worker. OSHA.[15]

Narrative Information

NCDC on August nationwide: “August 1991 ranked as the 16^th warmest August on record (since 1895). Mean monthly temperature departures of +2°F were observed in the northern third of the nation, the desert Southwest, and southern Texas. Temperatures averaged near to above normal in Hawaii and southern Alaska. Departures of -2°F were observed in California, parts of the southern Plains, and northern and central Alaska.” (NCDC. Storm Data, 33/8, Aug 1991, p4.)

New York

NCDC on Central NY, July 16-23: “A Bermuda high pumped hot air into eastern New York for 8 days, starting on July 16^th and ending on July 23^rd. During the 8-day period, Albany hit 90° or above seven times. Poughkeepsie hit 100° or greater three times, and at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, high temperatures ranged from 95° to 104° during the 8 days. Record highs were broken in Binghamton on the 19^th and 20^th, in Poughkeepsie on the 19^th, and record highs were tied in Albany on the 20^th and in Binghamton on the 17^th. The excessive heat was also accompanied by oppressive humidity and high levels of ozone. Numerous records for power consumption were also broken during the period.” (NCDC. Storm Data, 33/7, July 1991, p. 115.)

Pennsylvania

AP, Aug 30: “Philadelphia (AP) – City officials are urging residents to watch out for elderly people and giving out free electric fans to help senior citizens combat this week’s oppressive heat. Thirty-one elderly people died of heat-related causes in a July heat wave that sent temperatures into the 90s for at least 10 days. The temperature hit 98 at Philadelphia International Airport Thursday [Aug 29], tying the record high for the date from 1953. The combination of heat and humidity made things even worse. The National Weather Service predicted its heat index., also known as the apparent temperature – would reach 105 today….

“Officials estimate 29,000 elderly people live alone in the city, some in houses or apartments with windows nailed shut to thwart burglars….” (AP. “Health officials seek to prevent heat stress.” Indiana Gazette, 8-30-1991.

AP, Aug 12, 1993: “In 1991, 25 people died during a heat wave in the city [Philadelphia].” (AP. “Heat Wave Death Toll Doubles in Philly; Mostly Senior Citizens.” 8-12-1993, 1.)

NCDC on Eastern PA: “Hot humid weather prevailed over eastern Pennsylvania during the 11-day period. The temperature reached 90° or higher on 11 consecutive days at Harrisburg, on 9 days at Philadelphia, on 8 days at Williamsport and in the Wilkes-Barre Scranton area, and on 7 days at Allentown. It was 100° or more on 2 days at Williamsport and on 4 days at Harrisburg. This was during a month when Harrisburg hit 90° or more on 15 days, Philadelphia on 13 days, and Williamsport on 10 days. The hot weather took its toll in Philadelphia where 25 deaths were attributed to the heat. The deaths were mostly of older people (13 men, 12 women) with ages ranging from 54 to 92.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991, p. 139.)

West Virginia

NCDC on July 17-24 WV Heat Wave: “About a week of excessive heat and humidity peaked on the 23^rd. Charles Town reached 103 and Martinsburg 101 degrees. Mid and upper 90s were common in the western lowlands with 80s in the mountains. It was the hottest in many counties since he summer of 1988. Some utility companies reported a record 1 hour usage of electricity for the summer season on the 23^rd. Six people at a summerfest in Huntington were treated for heat exhaustion on the 20^th and 21^st.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991, p. 175.)

Sources

Associated Press, Philadelphia. “Health officials seek to prevent heat stress.” Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, 8-30-1991. p. 12. Accessed 4-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/indiana/indiana-gazette/1991/08-30/page-12?tag

Associated Press. “Heat Wave Death Toll Doubles in Philly; Mostly Senior Citizens,” Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, 8-12-1993, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=112037654

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. (ICD-9, E900 code for excessive natural heat and hyperthermia for 1991). CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Jun 26, 2017 12:23:24 PM

Daily News, Philadelphia (Gloria Campisi). “Heat Wave Death Toll: 25 Most Were Poor, Sick, Elderly – And Frightened, Officials Say.” 7-29-1991. Accessed 4-27-2016 at: http://articles.philly.com/1991-07-29/news/25785007_1_heat-related-deaths-heat-wave-natural-deaths

Garwe, Tabitha, M.P.H., Epidemiologist, Injury Prevention Service, OK DPH. ). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma State Department of Health, 5-31-2002. Accessed 11-8-2015 at: http://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/Heat_Deaths_1990-2001.pdf

Lushine, James B. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Miami, FL: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, NOAA. 1-6-2009 modification. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=fla_weather_casualties

Mirabelli, Maria C. and David B. Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 4, April 2005, pp. 635-637. Accessed 9-2-2015 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449233/

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. Data & Statistical Reports. Table: “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri 1980-2013.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hyperthermia/data.php

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 6, June 1991. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Accessed 4-26-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-BB566E77-FE57-4132-AF9E-A9552715EC7F.pdf

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Accessed 4-27-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-E534773C-4EC0-4D35-AD64-F4899BF93241.pdf

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 8, Aug 1991. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Accessed 4-27-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-4D11378B-3912-47D0-A943-CC40F0D86317.pdf

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 107370413 – FWA Drilling Co., Inc.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=107370413

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 108764853 – F. C. Barron Construction, Inc.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=108764853

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110108586 – Traylor Brothers, Inc.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=110108586

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110375169 – Harbert Construction Company.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=110375169

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110499175 – Sweetman Construction Co.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=110499175

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 112385828 – ABC Disposal Service, Inc.” Accessed 4-27-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=112385828

[1] The CDC WONDER breakout by State, totals only 78. The difference between 78 and 200 is that the CDC suppresses (does not show) data for States where the loss-of-life due to excessive natural heat is below ten.

[2] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991, p. 14.

[3] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 8, Aug 1991, p. 20. Notes that outdoor temp was 97 degrees F.

[4] Figure 3 (“Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999”) is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

[5] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110108586 – Traylor Brothers, Inc.”

[6][6] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 108764853 – F. C. Barron Construction, Inc.” Notes that the humidity was at 95% and that the employee collapsed on the job and suffered a seizure on the way to the hospital where his rectal temperature was measured as 108°F on a thermometer which only read to 108.

[7] From Figure 1. “Heat-Related Deaths by Year, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Deaths in Figure 1 are denoted by a horizontal bar, against backdrop of horizontal lines in increments of five. The precise number of deaths is not given, thus one has to make an educated guess in looking at the Figure and contrasting one bar against others.

[8] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 6, June 1991, p. 159.

[9] Cites city officials in general before citing Health Commissioner on use of “Buddy System” to reduce heat deaths.

[10] The date range is our guesstimate of the time-frame based on date of article, noting the report the day before (Sunday, 28^th) of Dr. Robert K. Ross, Deputy Health Commissioner, that at least 25 people were known to have died over a “nine-day stretch of oppressive heat” last week. If one considers Sunday the last day of the week, then July 28 was the last day of the week. The death-toll range has to do with statement that there were 25 known heat-related deaths, and that, according to the paper, “another five deaths could be related to the 90-plus temperatures and high humidity,” citing Dr. Ross. Notes “Most of the victims lived alone, and many had their windows shut tight, despite having no air conditioning or electric fans.” (cites Dr. Ross)

[11] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 33, No. 7, July 1991, p. 151.

[12] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110499175 – Sweetman Construction.”

[13] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 110375169 – Harbert Construction Co.”

[14] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 107370413 – FWA Drilling Co., Inc.”

[15] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 112385828–ABC Disposal Service, Inc.”

1991 — June-Aug, Heat, especially July 15-27 Philadelphia Heat Wave (31); TX (25) — 200