OBJECTIVES The objective of this study has been to evaluate the occupational heat exposure of 12 workers at 5 plants in a subtropical country. MATERIAL AND METHODS The heat stresses and strain on workers in 5 plants were assessed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7243 index (wet bulb globe temperature - WBGT) and the ISO 7933 index (maximum allowable exposure time - ...

The objective of the present contribution is to assess the exposure to hot thermal environments in the Portuguese glass industry. For this purpose a field survey was carried out and the measurements took place in industrial units - five industries and nineteen workplaces were considered-so all the results are based on real working conditions. In order to assess the level of heat exposure the We...

BACKGROUND Workers in many industries are exposed to thermally stressful work environments. Protection of the health of workers without unnecessarily compromising productivity requires the adoption of a heat index that is both reliable and easy to use. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the Thermal Work Limit (TWL), in a controlled environment and under field conditions, against these criteria. METHODS...

Cardiac strain was evaluated in terms of working heart rate (WHR), relative cardiac cost (RCC), net cardiac cost (NCC) and other recovery indices among six younger (mean age 34.2 +/- 2.7 yr) and sixteen older (mean age 48.9 +/- 5.4 yr) drillers working in a manual underground coal mine over two spells of work. The mean WHR was within the range of 117-132 beats / min with corresponding mean rela...

This study examined the effects of beverage composition on the voluntary drinking pattern, body fluid balance, and thermoregulation of heat-acclimatized trained boys exercising intermittently in outdoor conditions (wet bulb globe temperature 30.4 +/- 1.0 degreesC). Twelve boys (age 13.4 +/- 0.4 yr) performed two 3-h sessions, each consisting of four 20-min cycling bouts at 60% maximal aerobic p...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tire manufacturing work environments extensively and to identify workers' exposure to hazardous substances in various work processes. METHODS Personal air sampling was conducted to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon disulfide, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, methyl isobutyl ketone, methylcyclohexane, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, a...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of exposure to metal dusts, fumes and high temperature levels among brass workers in comparison to a control group. STUDY DESIGN Analytical cross-sectional study. METHODOLOGY One hundred and fifty four brass workers were matched for age with 154 controls selected from the local population. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to determine the ...

The incidence of heatstroke has been increasing in Japan, and future climate change is likely to increase heatstroke risk. We therefore developed a method to quantify the spatial distribution of outdoor heatstroke risk and predicted future changes in this risk considering the predicted climate change in Sendai, Japan. Heatstroke risk was quantified by assessing hazard, vulnerability and exposur...