Physiological and biochemical parameters among a population of bakers exposed to environmental heat

• Authors: Sultan T. Al-Otaibi

Abstracts

EN

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the physiological and biochemical changes among bakers, induced by heat exposure at the workplace.Material and MethodsInformation was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Vital signs were measured and recorded by a trained nurse before and after each work shift. A venous blood sample was drawn at the end of each work shift. The mean wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index in the bakeries and offices was measured.ResultsThis was a cross-sectional study involving 137 bakers working in 20 bakeries, and 107 control subjects comparable in terms of age, race, marital status, years of service, income, and cigarette smoking. There was a significant weight loss and increase in the respiratory rate, the heart rate, and oral body temperature among the bakers compared to the control group. Sodium levels were significantly lower, while blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly higher, among the bakers than in the control group. There were unfavorably hot working conditions in the bakeries: the WBGT index in the bakeries was 37.4°C while the average WBGT for the offices was 25.5°C.ConclusionsThe changes in the physiological and biochemical parameters among the bakers were found to be associated with exposure to high environmental heat in the bakeries, as judged by the WBGT index. Preventive measures should be aimed at reducing the adverse effects of heat exposure among bakers and should be directed towards the man-machine-environment triad.

Keywords

EN

physiological; parameters; heart rate; biochemical; bakers; heat

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 265-272

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Sultan T. Al-Otaibi

• Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (Department of Public Health, College of Public Health)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01813

Biblioteka Nauki

2084914