Heat Stress, Physiological Response, and Heat-Related Symptoms among Thai Sugarcane Workers
| Autor: | Pongsit Boonruksa, Thatkhwan Maturachon, Susan Woskie, Pornpimol Kongtip |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Hot Temperature Adolescent Threshold limit value Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Wet-bulb globe temperature Keywords: heat stress lcsh:Medicine harvesting season Heat Stress Disorders Article Toxicology heat stress 03 medical and health sciences Young Adult 0302 clinical medicine Stress Physiological Occupational Exposure Heart rate medicine heat strain Humans 030212 general & internal medicine business.industry lcsh:R Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Middle Aged Thailand 030210 environmental & occupational health Work environment Cracking skin Heat stress Saccharum wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) Blood pressure sugarcane worker heat-related symptom medicine.symptom business Heat-Shock Response Muscle cramp |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Volume 17 Issue 17 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 17, Iss 6363, p 6363 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 1660-4601 1661-7827 |
| Popis: | Prolonged or intense exposure to heat can lead to a range of health effects. This study investigated heat exposure and heat-related symptoms which sugarcane workers (90 sugarcane cutters and 93 factory workers) experienced during a harvesting season in Thailand. During the hottest month of harvesting season, wet bulb globe temperature was collected in the work environment, and workloads observed, to assess heat stress. Urine samples for dehydration test, blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature were measured pre- and post-shift to measure heat strain. Fluid intake and heat-related symptoms which subjects had experienced during the harvesting season were gathered via interviews at the end of the season. From the results, sugarcane cutters showed high risk for heat stress and strain, unlike factory workers who had low risk based on the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLVs) for heat stress. Dehydration was observed among sugarcane cutters and significant physiological changes including heart rate, body temperature, and systolic blood pressure occurred across the work shift. Significantly more sugarcane cutters reported experiencing heat-related symptoms including weakness/fatigue, heavy sweating, headache, rash, muscle cramp, dry mouth, dizziness, fever, dry/cracking skin, and swelling, compared to sugarcane factory workers. We conclude that the heat stress experienced by sugarcane cutters working in extremely hot environments, with high workloads, is associated with acute health effects. Preventive and control measures for heat stress are needed to reduce the risk of heat strain. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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