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Habibi P, Heydari A, Dehghan H, Moradi A, Moradi G. Climate Change and Occupational Heat Strain Among Women Workers: A Systematic Review. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2024; 28:4-17. [PMID: 38783874 PMCID: PMC11111142 DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_320_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change increases heat stress exposure and occupational heat strain in tropical and subtropical regions with generally hot-humid climate conditions. The present systematic review was conducted to assess the effect of climate change on occupational heat strain among women workers. In this study, three main databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched to find relevant literature on climate change and its effects using subject headings and appropriate MeSh terms. This article has been written according to the PRISMA checklist. A total of 6,176 studies were identified for screening and 13 studies were eligible for data extraction. Scientific evidence reveals that there is an imprecise but positive relationship between climate change and occupational heat strain regarding women workers. Some complications associated with occupational heat strain among women workers include fatigue, discomfort, dehydration, reduced brain function, and loss of concentration. Climate change can lead to an increase in the occurrence of heat-related illnesses and the levels of injury risk. In addition, its adverse health effects on women workers are mentioned. This systematic study identifies key priorities for action to better characterize and understand how occupational heat strain among women workers may be associated with climate change events. Strong evidence indicates that climate change will continue to cause occupational heat strain among women workers. It is essential to implement preventive measures considering multidisciplinary strategies to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on women workers health in hot weather settings. This can limit the health risks and negative effects of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peymaneh Habibi
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahad Heydari
- Department of Health in Disaster and Emergencies, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Habibollah Dehghan
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Moradi
- Safety and Risk Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Gholamreza Moradi
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Del Ferraro S, Falcone T, Morabito M, Bonafede M, Marinaccio A, Gao C, Molinaro V. Mitigating heat effects in the workplace with a ventilation jacket: Simulations of the whole-body and local human thermophysiological response with a sweating thermal manikin in a warm-dry environment. J Therm Biol 2024; 119:103772. [PMID: 38145612 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is increasingly affecting human well-being and will inevitably impact on occupational sectors in terms of costs, productivity, workers' health and injuries. Among the cooling garment developed to reduce heat strain, the ventilation jacket could be considered for possible use in workplaces, as it is wearable without limiting the user's mobility and autonomy. In this study, simulations with a sweating manikin are carried out to investigate the effects of a short-sleeved ventilation jacket on human thermophysiological responses in a warm-dry scenario. Simulations were performed in a climatic chamber (air temperature = 30.1 °C; air velocity = 0.29 m/s; relative humidity = 30.0 %), considering two constant levels of metabolic rate M (M1 = 2.4 MET; M2 = 3.2 MET), a sequence of these two (Work), and three levels of fan velocities (lf = 0; lf=2; lf=4). The results revealed a more evident impact on the mean skin temperature (Tsk) compared to the rectal temperature (Tre), with significant decreases (compared to fan-off) at all M levels, for Tsk from the beginning and for Tre from the 61st minute. Skin temperatures of the torso zones decreased significantly (compared to fan-off) at all M levels, and a greater drop was registered for the Back. The fans at the highest level (lf=4) were significantly effective in improving whole-body and local thermal sensations when compared to fan-off, at all M levels. At the intermediate level (lf=2), the statistical significance varied with thermal zone, M and time interval considered. The results of the simulations also showed that the Lower Torso needs to be monitored at M2 level, as the drop in skin temperature could lead to local overcooling and thermal discomfort. Simulations showed the potential effectiveness of the ventilation jacket, but human trials are needed to verify its cooling power in real working conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Del Ferraro
- Laboratory of Ergonomics and Physiology, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
| | - Tiziana Falcone
- Laboratory of Ergonomics and Physiology, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
| | - Marco Morabito
- Institute of BioEconomy (IBE), National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy; Centre of Bioclimatology, University of Florence, Piazzale Delle Cascine 18, 50144, Florence, Italy.
| | - Michela Bonafede
- Laboratory of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Stefano Gradi 55, 00143, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Marinaccio
- Laboratory of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Stefano Gradi 55, 00143, Rome, Italy.
| | - Chuansi Gao
- Aerosol and Climate Laboratory, Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology, Department of Design Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sölvegatan 26, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Vincenzo Molinaro
- Laboratory of Ergonomics and Physiology, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
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Soleimani N, Habibi P, Dehghan H. Effect of air blowing inside isolated hospital clothing on perceptual and physiological heat strain in laboratory conditions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2023:10.1007/s00484-023-02484-6. [PMID: 37193905 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-023-02484-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Heat stress is one of the most common complaints of health care employees who wear isolation gowns to protect themselves from biological agents, particularly during the warmer seasons. This study was conducted in a climatic chamber to determine the influence of airflow within isolated hospital gowns on physiological-perceptual heat strain indices. The experiment was conducted in three trials: regular clothes (CON), an impenetrable gown without air blowing (GO), and a gown with air blowing (GO + FAN) at temperature conditions of 27 °C and 25% relative humidity (RH). During the trial, physiological-perceptual response data were recorded for a half-hour on a treadmill at a speed of km/hr and a slope of 0% activity at 5-min intervals. The ASHRAE Likert scale was used to assess thermal comfort (TC), thermal sensation (TS), and skin wetness sensation (WS). As the results show, there was a significant difference in mean scores for TC and WS in both sexes when working in the CON, GO, and GO + FAN groups (P < 0.001). In women, the mean scores for TS, TC, and WS reduced considerably (P < 0.001) in the GO and GO + FAN in the amount of 10 and 12 CFM (20 [Formula: see text]/h), but in males, there was a statistically significant difference between mean scores (P < 0.001) in the GO + FAN at 12 CFM (20 [Formula: see text]/h) and 14 CFM (24 [Formula: see text]/h). Also, the greatest difference between the average heart rate, chest temperature, and temperature inside the clothes in women and men in the trials GO and GO + FAN was observed in the air flow 12 CFM and 14 CFM, respectively (P < 0.001). The usage of an air blower in isolated hospital clothes has been shown to influence physiological-perceptual parameters in men and women substantially. The existence of airflow in these gowns can improve safety, performance, and thermal comfort while also decreasing the risk of heat-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Soleimani
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Research Committee, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Peymaneh Habibi
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Habibollah Dehghan
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
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Yang J, Zhang Y, Huang Y, Chen W. Effects of liquid cooling garment on physiological and psychological strain of firefighter in hot and warm environments. J Therm Biol 2023; 112:103487. [PMID: 36796928 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the effects of a liquid cooling garment on the physiological and psychological strains of firefighters. Twelve participants wearing firefighting protective equipment with the liquid cooling garment (LCG group) and without the liquid cooling garment (CON group) were recruited to conduct human trials in a climate chamber. During the trials, physiological parameters (mean skin temperature (Tsk), core temperature (Tc), and heart rate (HR)) and psychological parameters (thermal sensation vote (TSV), thermal comfort vote (TCV), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) were measured continuously. The heat storage, sweating loss, physiological strain index (PSI), and perceptual strain index (PeSI) were calculated. The results indicated that the liquid cooling garment decreased the mean skin temperature (maximum value of 0.62 °C), scapula skin temperature (maximum value of 1.90 °C), sweating loss (26%), and PSI (0.95 scales) with a significant difference (p < 0.05) at some time points when compared with the CON group. Moreover, the liquid cooling garment had little influence (p > 0.05) on core temperature, heart rate, TSV, TCV, RPE, and PeSI. The association analysis indicated that psychological strain had the potential to predict physiological heat strain with an R2 value of 0.86 between the PeSI and PSI. This study offers insights into the evaluation of cooling system performance, the design of next-generation cooling systems, and the improvement of firefighters' benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- College of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- College of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Yiming Huang
- School of Energy and Building Environment, Guilin University of Aerospace Technology, Guilin, 541004, China
| | - Weiwang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Civil Aviation Thermal Hazards Prevention and Emergency Response, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, 300300, China.
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Habibi P, Ostad SN, Monazzam MR, Foroushani AR, Ghazi-Khansari M, Aliebrahimi S, Montazeri V, Golbabaei F. Thermal stress and TiO 2 nanoparticle-induced oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis in mouse hippocampus. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:90128-90139. [PMID: 35864393 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21796-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is used abundantly in various industrial products and novel medical therapies. In addition, the impact of climate change on the health and safety will undoubtedly increase in the future. However, the effects of exposure to these nanoparticles and heat stress on hippocampal DNA damage and apoptosis remain unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the DNA damage and apoptosis in the hippocampal tissue and the physiological responses in mice induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and heat stress for 14 consecutive days. The results showed that heat stress and TiO2-NPs were induced in the mouse hippocampus that led to hippocampal reactive oxygen species generation, oxidative damage of DNA, and apoptosis in a partly dose-dependent manner, especially at very hot temperature. High doses of nanosized TiO2 and severe heat stress significantly damaged the function of the hippocampus, as shown in the comet assay and apoptosis tests. The results of this study may provide data for appropriate measures to control and assess the risk of nano-TiO2 and thermal stress hazards to human health, especially workers. Safety guidelines and policies should be considered when handling nanomaterials in a hot environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peymaneh Habibi
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Nasser Ostad
- Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Monazzam
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Rahimi Foroushani
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Ghazi-Khansari
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shima Aliebrahimi
- Department of Medical Education, Virtual University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahideh Montazeri
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Virtual University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farideh Golbabaei
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Habibi P, Ostad SN, Heydari A, Aliebrahimi S, Montazeri V, Foroushani AR, Monazzam MR, Ghazi-Khansari M, Golbabaei F. Effect of heat stress on DNA damage: a systematic literature review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2022; 66:2147-2158. [PMID: 36178536 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02351-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Thermal stress has a direct effect on various types of DNA damage, which depends on the stage of the cell cycle when the cell is exposed to different climate conditions. A literature review was conducted to systematically investigate and assess the overall effect of heat stress and DNA damage following heat exposure. In this study, electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched to find relevant literature on DNA damage in different ambient temperatures. Outcomes included (1) measurement of DNA damage in heat exposure, (2) three different quantification methods (comet assay, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and γ-H2AX), and (3) protocols used for moderate (31) and high temperatures (42). The evidence shows that long exposure and very high temperature can induce an increase in DNA damage through aggregate in natural proteins, ROS generation, cell death, and reproductive damage in hot-humid and hot-dry climate conditions. A substantial increase in DNA damage occurs following acute heat stress exposure, especially in tropical and subtropical climate conditions. The results of this systematic literature review showed a positive association between thermal stress exposure and inhibition of repair of DNA damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peymaneh Habibi
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Naser Ostad
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahad Heydari
- Department of Health in Disaster and Emergencies, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Shima Aliebrahimi
- Artificial Intelligence Department, Smart University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahideh Montazeri
- Artificial Intelligence Department, Smart University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Rahimi Foroushani
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Monazzam
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Ghazi-Khansari
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farideh Golbabaei
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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