An Overview of Occupational Risks From Climate Change

Abstract

Changes in atmosphere and temperature are affecting multiple environmental indicators from extreme heat events to global air quality. Workers will be uniquely affected by climate change, and the occupational impacts of major shifts in atmospheric and weather conditions need greater attention. Climate change-related exposures most likely to differentially affect workers in the USA and globally include heat, ozone, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, other chemicals, pathogenic microorganisms, vector-borne diseases, violence, and wildfires. Epidemiologic evidence documents a U-, J-, or V-shaped relationship between temperature and mortality. Whereas heat-related morbidity and mortality risks are most evident in agriculture, many other outdoor occupational sectors are also at risk, including construction, transportation, landscaping, firefighting, and other emergency response operations. The toxicity of chemicals change under hyperthermic conditions, particularly for pesticides and ozone. Combined with climate-related changes in chemical transport and distribution, these interactions represent unique health risks specifically to workers. Links between heat and interpersonal conflict including violence require attention because they pose threats to the safety of emergency medicine, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief, and public safety professionals. Recommendations for anticipating how US workers will be most susceptible to climate change include formal monitoring systems for agricultural workers; modeling scenarios focusing on occupational impacts of extreme climate events including floods, wildfires, and chemical spills; and national research agenda setting focusing on control and mitigation of occupational susceptibility to climate change.

Balance between Health Risks and Benefits for Outdoor Workers Exposed to Solar Radiation: An Overview on the Role of Near Infrared Radiation Alone and in Combination with Other Solar Spectral Bands

“…Moreover, they may be exposed to the same pollutants found indoors, but with different exposure patterns. Outdoor exposures and related health effects may be exacerbated by CC, the last one representing an additional concern in occupational health [86,87]. Outdoor workers are electively exposed to SR, but the effective duration of exposure during a working shift or a working day may be highly variable [12] depending on the time effectively spent outdoor, type of job performed, environmental albedo, shading and personal protection.…”

Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature on climate change and human health with an emphasis on infectious diseases

“…The implications of climate change on human health have led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare climate change as one of the top ten global health threats in 2019 [8]. Climate change is negatively affecting human lives by changing the quality of air, water, and food supply [9][10][11]. It is estimated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year and 2-4 billion USD loss per year by 2030 [12].…”

An Occupational Heat Stress and Hydration Assessment of Agricultural Workers in North Mexico

“…High humidity and extreme ambient temperatures coupled with heavy physical labor and low fluid consumption place individuals at risk for heat strain and dehydration, serious and commonly underreported hazards in the agricultural industry [1][2][3][4][5]. As the number of hot days and heatwaves is expected to increase globally, it is expected that vulnerable populations, such as agricultural workers, will experience increased heat-related morbidity and mortality [1,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”