| 1. |
- Adam-Poupart, Ariane, et al.
(författare)
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Climate Change and Occupational Health and Safety in a Temperate Climate : Potential Impacts and Research Priorities in Quebec, Canada
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 68-78
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The potential impacts of climate change (CC) on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) have been studied a little in tropical countries, while they received no attention in northern industrialized countries with a temperate climate. This work aimed to establish an overview of the potential links between CC and OHS in those countries and to determine research priorities for Quebec, Canada. A narrative review of the scientific literature (2005-2010) was presented to a working group of international and national experts and stakeholders during a workshop held in 2010. The working group was invited to identify knowledge gaps, and a modified Delphi method helped prioritize research avenues. This process highlighted five categories of hazards that are likely to impact OHS in northern industrialized countries: heat waves/increased temperatures, air pollutants, UV radiation, extreme weather events, vector-borne/zoonotic diseases. These hazards will affect working activities related to natural resources (i.e. agriculture, fishing and forestry) and may influence the socioeconomic context (built environment and green industries), thus indirectly modifying OHS. From this consensus approach, three categories of research were identified: 1) Knowledge acquisition on hazards, target populations and methods of adaptation; 2) Surveillance of diseases/accidents/occupational hazards; and 3) Development of new occupational adaptation strategies.
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| 2. |
- Crowe, Jennifer, et al.
(författare)
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Heat exposure in sugarcane harvesters in Costa Rica
- 2013
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Ingår i: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0271-3586 .- 1097-0274. ; 56:10, s. 1157-1164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Occupational heat stress is a major concern in sugarcane production and has been hypothesized as a causal factor of a chronic kidney disease epidemic in Central America. This study described working conditions of sugarcane harvesters in Costa Rica and quantified their exposure to heat.METHODS: Non-participatory observation and Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures (WBGT) according to Spanish NTP (Technical Prevention Notes) guidelines were utilized to quantify the risk of heat stress. OSHA recommendations were used to identify corresponding exposure limit values.RESULTS: Sugarcane harvesters carried out labor-intensive work with a metabolic load of 261 W/m(2) (6.8 kcal/min), corresponding to a limit value of 26° WBGT which was reached by 7:30 am on most days. After 9:15 am, OSHA recommendations would require that workers only work 25% of each hour to avoid health risks from heat.CONCLUSIONS: Sugarcane harvesters are at risk for heat stress for the majority of the work shift. Immediate action is warranted to reduce such exposures.
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| 3. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change and occupational heat problems
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 1-2
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 4. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change threats to population health and well-being : the imperative of protective solutions that will last
- 2013
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Ingår i: Global Health Action. - Järfälla, Sweden : CoAction Publishing. - 1654-9716 .- 1654-9880. ; 6, s. Article nr 20816-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The observational evidence of the impacts of climate conditions on human health is accumulating. A variety of direct, indirect, and systemically mediated health effects have been identified. Excessive daily heat exposures create direct effects, such as heat stroke (and possibly death), reduce work productivity, and interfere with daily household activities. Extreme weather events, including storms, floods, and droughts, create direct injury risks and follow-on outbreaks of infectious diseases, lack of nutrition, and mental stress. Climate change will increase these direct health effects. Indirect effects include malnutrition and under-nutrition due to failing local agriculture, spread of vector-borne diseases and other infectious diseases, and mental health and other problems caused by forced migration from affected homes and workplaces. Examples of systemically mediated impacts on population health include famine, conflicts, and the consequences of large-scale adverse economic effects due to reduced human and environmental productivity. This article highlights links between climate change and non-communicable health problems, a major concern for global health beyond 2015. Discussion: Detailed regional analysis of climate conditions clearly shows increasing temperatures in many parts of the world. Climate modelling indicates that by the year 2100 the global average temperature may have increased by 3-4 degrees C unless fundamental reductions in current global trends for greenhouse gas emissions are achieved. Given other unforeseeable environmental, social, demographic, and geopolitical changes that may occur in a plus-4-degree world, that scenario may comprise a largely uninhabitable world for millions of people and great social and military tensions. Conclusion: It is imperative that we identify actions and strategies that are effective in reducing these increasingly likely threats to health and well-being. The fundamental preventive strategy is, of course, climate change mitigation by significantly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, especially long-acting carbon dioxide (CO2), and by increasing the uptake of CO2 at the earth's surface. This involves urgent shifts in energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, energy conservation in building design and urban planning, and reduced waste of energy for transport, building heating/cooling, and agriculture. It would also involve shifts in agricultural production and food systems to reduce energy and water use particularly in meat production. There is also potential for prevention via mitigation, adaptation, or resilience building actions, but for the large populations in tropical countries, mitigation of climate change is required to achieve health protection solutions that will last.
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| 5. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping Occupational Heat Exposure and Effects in South-East Asia : Ongoing Time Trends 1980-2011 and Future Estimates to 2050
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 56-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A feature of climate impacts on occupational health and safety are physiological limits to carrying out physical work at high heat exposure. Heat stress reduces a workers work capacity, leading to lower hourly labour productivity and economic output. We used existing weather station data and climate modeling grid cell data to describe heat conditions (calculated as Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, WBGT) in South-East Asia. During the hottest month in this region (March) afternoon WBGT levels are already high enough to cause major loss of hourly work capacity and by 2050 the situation will be extreme for many outdoor jobs.
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| 6. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational health and safety impacts of climate conditions
- 2013
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Ingår i: Climate vulnerability. - : Academic Press. - 9780123847041 ; , s. 145-156
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate conditions in workplaces are occupational health hazards that need to be taken into account when assessing population vulnerability to climate conditions and climate changes. Very cold as well as very hot work environments can create thermal stress beyond what human physiology can cope with. All human populations have a normal core body temperature in the range 36-37 °C, and even a few degrees higher or lower body temperature, due to surrounding climate conditions, can lead to serious health effects. Intrabody heat production creates vulnerability among people doing heavy physical labor. Increasing air temperature or humidity creates new workplace risks from heat stress, particularly in already hot locations, as temperature or humidity increases. This chapter describes this occupational health problem in some detail and also refers to other climate-related health risks that may occur in particular occupation groups.
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| 7. |
- Lundgren Kownacki, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainability Challenges from Climate Change and Air Conditioning Use in Urban Areas
- 2013
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 5:7, s. 3116-3128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global climate change increases heat loads in urban areas causing health and productivity risks for millions of people. Inhabitants in tropical and subtropical urban areas are at especial risk due to high population density, already high temperatures, and temperature increases due to climate change. Air conditioning is growing rapidly, especially in South and South-East Asia due to income growth and the need to protect from high heat exposures. Studies have linked increased total hourly electricity use to outdoor temperatures and humidity; modeled future predictions when facing additional heat due to climate change, related air conditioning with increased street level heat and estimated future air conditioning use in major urban areas. However, global and localized studies linking climate variables with air conditioning alone are lacking. More research and detailed data is needed looking at the effects of increasing air conditioning use, electricity consumption, climate change and interactions with the urban heat island effect. Climate change mitigation, for example using renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaic electricity generation, to power air conditioning, and other sustainable methods to reduce heat exposure are needed to make future urban areas more climate resilient.
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| 8. |
- Sahu, Subhashis, et al.
(författare)
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Heat Exposure, Cardiovascular Stress and Work Productivity in Rice Harvesters in India : Implications for a Climate Change Future
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:4, s. 424-431
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Excessive workplace heat exposures create well-known risks of heat stroke, and it limits the workers' capacity to sustain physical activity. There is very limited evidence available on how these effects reduce work productivity, while the quantitative relationship between heat and work productivity is an essential basis for climate change impact assessments. We measured hourly heat exposure in rice fields in West Bengal and recorded perceived health problems via interviews of 124 rice harvesters. In a sub-group (n = 48) heart rate was recorded every minute in a standard work situation. Work productivity was recorded as hourly rice bundle collection output. The hourly heat levels (WBGT = Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) were 26-32 degrees C (at air temperatures of 30-38 degrees C), exceeding international standards. Most workers reported exhaustion and pain during work on hot days. Heart rate recovered quickly at low heat, but more slowly at high heat, indicating cardiovascular strain. The hourly number of rice bundles collected was significantly reduced at WBGT>26 degrees C (approximately 5% per C of increased WBGT). We conclude that high heat exposure in agriculture caused heat strain and reduced work productivity. This reduction will be exacerbated by climate change and may undermine the local economy.
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| 9. |
- Sheffield, Perry E., et al.
(författare)
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Current and Future Heat Stress in Nicaraguan Work Places under a Changing Climate
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 123-127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While climate change continues to increase ambient temperatures, the resulting heat stress exposure to workers in non-climate controlled settings is not well characterized, particularly in low and middle income countries. This preliminary report describes current heat stress in Nicaraguan work places and estimates occupational heat stress in 2050. From over 400 measurements of heat exposure using wet bulb globe temperature, more than 10% of all measurements exceeded the safety threshold for the combination of light work and rest at the ratio of 25:75. By 2050, that percentage of "over-heated" days is projected to increase to over 15%. These findings support the idea that common working conditions in Nicaragua already represent a threat to the health and safety of the workers and that climate change driven trends could mean either a necessary curbing of economic productivity or an increased threat to worker health and safety.
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| 10. |
- Smith, Kirk R., et al.
(författare)
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Energy and human health
- 2013
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Ingår i: Annual review of public health (Print). - : ANNUAL REVIEWS. - 0163-7525 .- 1545-2093. ; 34, s. 159-188
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy use is central to human society and provides many health benefits. But each source of energy entails some health risks. This article reviews the health impacts of each major source of energy, focusing on those with major implications for the burden of disease globally. The biggest health impacts accrue to the harvesting and burning of solid fuels, coal and biomass, mainly in the form of occupational health risks and household and general ambient air pollution. Lack of access to clean fuels and electricity in the world's poor households is a particularly serious risk for health. Although energy efficiency brings many benefits, it also entails some health risks, as do renewable energy systems, if not managed carefully. We do not review health impacts of climate change itself, which are due mostly to climate-altering pollutants from energy systems, but do discuss the potential for achieving near-term health cobenefits by reducing certain climate-related emissions.
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| 11. |
- Tawatsupa, Benjawan, et al.
(författare)
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Association between Heat Stress and Occupational Injury among Thai Workers : Findings of the Thai Cohort Study
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 34-46
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global warming will increase heat stress at home and at work. Few studies have addressed the health consequences in tropical low and middle income settings such as Thailand. We report on the association between heat stress and workplace injury among workers enrolled in the large national Thai Cohort Study in 2005 (N=58,495). We used logistic regression to relate heat stress and occupational injury separately for males and females, adjusting for covariate effects of age, income, education, alcohol, smoking, Body Mass Index, job location, job type, sleeping hours, existing illness, and having to work very fast. Nearly 20% of workers experienced occupational heat stress which strongly and significantly associated with occupational injury (adjusted OR 2.12, 95%CI 1.87-2.42 for males and 1.89, 95%CI 1.64-2.18 for females). This study provides evidence connecting heat stress and occupational injury in tropical Thailand and also identifies several factors that increase heat exposure. The findings will be useful for policy makers to consider work-related heat stress problems in tropical Thailand and to develop an occupational health and safety program which is urgently needed given the looming threat of global warming.
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