Health-Related Exposures and Conditions among US Fishermen

Abstract

Commercial fishing is a high-risk occupation, yet there is a lack of surveillance documenting health conditions, health behaviors, and health care coverage among US fishermen. We used publicly available data sources to identify exposures and health outcomes common among fishermen. We utilized the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-Worker Health Charts to estimate the prevalence of general exposures, psychosocial exposures, health behaviors, and health conditions from the national surveys National Health Interview Survey -Occupational Health Supplement (NHIS-OHS, 2015) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (2013)(2014)(2015). We compared fishing workers with both agricultural workers and all-workers. Fishermen commonly reported general exposures, psychosocial exposures, non-standard work arrangements, frequent night shifts, and shift work. The prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome (33%) and severe low-back pain (27%) was also high. Smoking (45%) and second-hand smoke exposure (25%) were widespread, and 21% reported no health care coverage. National household surveys such as NHIS-OHS, and BRFSS can be utilized to describe the health status of fishermen. This workforce would benefit from increased access to health care and health promotion programs. More comprehensive evaluations of existing data can help to identify occupation-specific health challenges.

Prevalence of Adverse Health Behaviors and Conditions Among Maritime Workers, BRFSS 2014 to 2018, 38 States

“…A study of survey data from US domestic mariners also found that smoking and alcohol consumption were more common in this population 9 . Commercial fisherman were also found to have a higher prevalence of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure compared with US agricultural and all workers 13 . Globally, two different reviews found high prevalence of tobacco use and alcohol consumption among seafarers 14,15 .…”

“…9 Commercial fisherman were also found to have a higher prevalence of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure compared with US agricultural and all workers. 13 Globally, two different reviews found high prevalence of tobacco use and alcohol consumption among seafarers. 14,15 Similarly, a study of French fishermen in the South Atlantic region found that a third offishermen are at risk for excessive drinking.…”

Methylmercury and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mediterranean Seafood: A Molecular Anthropological Perspective

“…Fishing is strongly demanding, both physically and psychologically, implying, among the several challenges, working long hours, frequent night shifts, the unpredictability of the sea, and prolonged separation from the family [184]. Moreover, several investigations have linked the above factors to health conditions and harmful habits that are common among fishermen from different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean Sea [185], which comprise tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, and so on [186,187]. Such habits are known to impact human DNA methylation [188][189][190][191], and hence must be taken into consideration when asking sampled individuals about their daily life.…”

Evaluation of a technical advisory board for an occupational injury surveillance research project: A qualitative study

“…Previous publications have outlined both the process of matching data 2 and the effort to explore publicly available charts to obtain commercial fishing‐specific estimates of workplace exposures, safety behaviors, health status, illnesses, and injuries, as well as working and employment conditions. 3 …”

“…RISC Fishing aims to provide a resource for PNW commercial fisheries to develop, evaluate, and inform safety initiatives by combining these sources of data into an ongoing, scalable, adaptable surveillance system and to trial the use of the system for hazard assessments and evaluations of safety and fishery management interventions. Previous publications have outlined both the process of matching data 2 and the effort to explore publicly available charts to obtain commercial fishing‐specific estimates of workplace exposures, safety behaviors, health status, illnesses, and injuries, as well as working and employment conditions 3 …”