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Wang J, Jiang C, Yang G, Bai G, Yu S. Study on thermal health and its safety management mode for the working environment. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1227630. [PMID: 37670839 PMCID: PMC10475595 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1227630] [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: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermal health concerns have gained significant attention due to the heightened health risks faced by workers who are exposed to extreme thermal environments for prolonged periods. To ensure the occupational health and safety of such workers, and to enhance work efficiency, it is imperative to examine the characteristics of thermal health in the working environment. This study proposes three key elements of thermal health in the working environment, namely thermal health states, absence of heat-related illnesses, and heat adaptability, which can be used to develop a safety management framework for thermal health. By exploring the interconnections between these elements, the study summarizes their features and outlines the necessary precautions to safeguard them. The PDCA (plan/do/check/action) cycle management mode is utilized as a framework, with the three components of thermal health forming the core, to establish a safety management mode for thermal health. To ensure that employees work in a safe, healthy, comfortable, and productive environment, the assessment and control objectives of the thermal environment are regularly revised through the use of labor protection technology and thermal environment control technology. This paper presents a PDCA cycle safety management mode based on the characteristics of thermal health, which offers novel insights and approaches for assessing and managing workers' thermal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mine Thermodynamic Disasters and Control of Ministry of Education, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Safety Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Cheng Jiang
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Guang Yang
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Gang Bai
- Key Laboratory of Mine Thermodynamic Disasters and Control of Ministry of Education, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Safety Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Shixuan Yu
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
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Venugopal V, Lennqvist R, Latha PK, Shanmugam R, Krishnamoorthy M, Selvaraj N, Balakrishnan R, Omprashant R, Purty AJ, Bazroy J, Glaser J, Jakobsson K. Occupational Heat Stress and Kidney Health in Salt Pan Workers. Kidney Int Rep 2023; 8:1363-1372. [PMID: 37441492 PMCID: PMC10334398 DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Work in heat affects millions of workers. Although kidney function in agricultural workers is increasingly researched, nonagricultural studies are scarce. In coastal salt pans, the absence of occupational exposures to pesticides and other toxicants allows assessment of heat stress alone. Methods Seven Indian salt pans were surveyed from 2017 to 2020. Job-specific workload was assessed. Heat stress was characterized as exceeding the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)-threshold limit value (TLV) for high and moderate workloads. Preshift and postshift heart rates (HRs), tympanic temperatures, and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured for 352 workers, as were sweat rates (SwR), serum creatinine (SCr), serum uric acid, and urine dipstick. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; ml/min per 1.73 m2) was computed. Heat-strain symptoms were assessed using questionnaires. Results The mean WBGT was 30.5 ± 1.3 °C (summer) and 27.8 ± 1.9 °C (winter). Water intake during the workday was low, median was one Litre, and most workers (87%) exceeded the TLV for heat stress. Dehydration-related symptoms were frequent in those with high-heat stress, as were cross-shift increases in temperature (≥1°C; 15%), a high USG (≥1.020; 28%), and a high SwR (≥1 l/h; 53%). An eGFR of 60 to 89 ml/min per 1.73 m2 was observed in 41% of all workers examined, and 7% had eGFR below 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. The odds ratio for eGFR <90 ml/min per 1.73 m2 in workers exceeding the TLV, compared to workers below this limit, adjusted for age and gender was 2.9 (95% CI: 1.3-6.4). Conclusion Workplace interventions to prevent heat stress and dehydration in the salt pans and other at-risk industries are urgently required. The findings strengthen the notion that high-heat stress and limited hydration is a risk factor for kidney dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidhya Venugopal
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Robin Lennqvist
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - PK Latha
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Rekha Shanmugam
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Manikandan Krishnamoorthy
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Nandhini Selvaraj
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Rajagurusamy Balakrishnan
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - R. Omprashant
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Anil Jacob Purty
- Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India
| | - Joy Bazroy
- Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India
| | | | - Kristina Jakobsson
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- La Isla Network, Washington, USA
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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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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Sharma M, Suri NM, Kant S. Analyzing occupational heat stress using sensor-based monitoring: a wearable approach with environmental ergonomics perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : IJEST 2022; 19:11421-11434. [PMID: 35106066 PMCID: PMC8794599 DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03862-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Occupational heat stress could impose a greater risk of heat-related morbidities among the exposed users, declining their work productivity and contributing to a financial burden. This necessitate the implementation of adequate preventive measures and control policies to improve the users' well-being and productive capacity. The emergence of modernistic sensors gives rise to workplace heat stress monitoring at a substantially lower cost than expensive conventional equipment. Present work unveils the productive role of sensor-based safety helmet, which could monitor the environmental variables, heat stress indices, and users' physiological variables as an indicator of heat strain. The proposed safety helmet was tested under three different work environments with users' engaged in specific work activities. Notable variations were perceived among the measured data under respective work conditions and physical activity performed. Higher heat risk exposures were attributable to the outdoor condition compared to indoor work conditions. For wet bulb globe temperature index, strong association (p-value < 0.01) was observed with fighter index of thermal stress (R 2-value = 0.959) followed by discomfort index (R 2-value = 0.899) and heat index (R 2-value = 0.867). Results revealed a rise in measured physiological parameters under the heavy workload activity (shoveling task; outdoor location) followed by hacksaw cutting task (indoor location), while least values were associated with light workload activity (drilling task; indoor location). The proposed design intervention could be considered an effective site-specific solution for monitoring heat stress exposures and keeping exposed users well aware of the prevalent thermal work conditions at the individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Sharma
- Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed To Be University), Sector 12, Chandigarh, 160012 India
| | - N. M. Suri
- Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed To Be University), Sector 12, Chandigarh, 160012 India
| | - S. Kant
- Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed To Be University), Sector 12, Chandigarh, 160012 India
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6
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Hinchliffe A, Kogevinas M, Pérez-Gómez B, Ardanaz E, Amiano P, Marcos-Delgado A, Castaño-Vinyals G, Llorca J, Moreno V, Alguacil J, Fernandez-Tardón G, Salas D, Marcos-Gragera R, Aragonés N, Guevara M, Gil L, Martin V, Benavente Y, Gomez-Acebo I, Santibáñez M, Ángel Alba M, García AM, Pollán M, Turner MC. Occupational Heat Exposure and Breast Cancer Risk in the MCC-Spain Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020; 30:364-372. [PMID: 33268491 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-20-0732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mechanisms linking occupational heat exposure with chronic diseases have been proposed. However, evidence on occupational heat exposure and cancer risk is limited. METHODS We evaluated occupational heat exposure and female breast cancer risk in a large Spanish case-control study. We enrolled 1,738 breast cancer cases and 1,910 frequency-matched population controls. A Spanish job-exposure matrix, MatEmEsp, was used to assign estimates of the proportion of workers exposed (P ≥ 25% for at least 1 year) and work time with heat stress (wet bulb globe temperature ISO 7243) for each occupation. We used three exposure indices: ever versus never exposed, lifetime cumulative exposure, and duration of exposure (years). We estimated ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI), applying a lag period of 5 years and adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS Ever occupational heat exposure was associated with a moderate but statistically significant higher risk of breast cancer (OR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01-1.46), with significant trends across categories of lifetime cumulative exposure and duration (P trend = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Stronger associations were found for hormone receptor-positive disease (OR ever exposure = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.12-1.67). We found no confounding effects from multiple other common occupational exposures; however, results attenuated with adjustment for occupational detergent exposure. CONCLUSIONS This study provides some evidence of an association between occupational heat exposure and female breast cancer risk. IMPACT Our results contribute substantially to the scientific literature. Further investigations are needed considering multiple occupational exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Hinchliffe
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Pérez-Gómez
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Ardanaz
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Pilar Amiano
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, San Sebastian, Spain
| | | | - Gemma Castaño-Vinyals
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Llorca
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,University of Cantabria - IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Víctor Moreno
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Oncology Data Analytics Program (ODAP), Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Alguacil
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales, Salud y Medio Ambiente (RENSMA), Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, Spain
| | - Guillermo Fernandez-Tardón
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Institute of Health Research of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA), Public Health Department, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Dolores Salas
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region (FISABIO), Valencia, Spain.,General Directorate Public Health, Valencian Community, Valencia, Spain
| | - Rafael Marcos-Gragera
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Epidemiology Unit and Girona Cancer Registry, Oncology Coordination Plan, Department of Health, Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain.,Descriptive Epidemiology, Genetics and Cancer Prevention Group, Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | - Nuria Aragonés
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Epidemiology Section, Public Health Division, Department of Health of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcela Guevara
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Leire Gil
- Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Vicente Martin
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED)
| | - Yolanda Benavente
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Unit of Infections and Cancer (UNIC), Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, IDIBELL, Institut Català d'Oncologia, L'Hospitalet De Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ines Gomez-Acebo
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,University of Cantabria - IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | | | - Miguel Ángel Alba
- Industrial Hygiene Department, Quirón Prevención, S.L.U., Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana M García
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universitat de València, València, Spain.,Center for Research in Occupational Health (CISAL), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marina Pollán
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michelle C Turner
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain. .,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
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