Get Ready for a Heat Wave... and an Asthma Attack?

by Mary Meads

            Every year in the United States of America, 240 deaths occur due to heat-related illnesses (Shanks 45).  Also, about twenty percent of the populations of adults with asthma possibly have a form of occupational asthma (“Case Studies”).  How do these two things relate?  Heat is a product of humidity and temperature, both of which are a part of climate.  A number of these deaths that are attributed to heat-related illnesses are connected to climate factors in the environment and an occupational setting.  The composition of the air that workers breathe in an occupational setting also relates to the environment.  The climate and the composition of the air both have the ability to alter the performance of any individual while they are doing an occupational job; therefore, these environmental factors have an effect on the occupational health of the world.  The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Health Policy Committee define environmental health as a part of public health that includes the effects of certain factors on human health.  These factors include biological, physical and chemical agents in the environment that have an influence on humans in the community, home, and occupational workplace (“An Ensemble of Definitions”).

            The composition of the air that humans breathe can have an effect on the occupational health of workers.  One of the main illnesses associated with breathing that could be affected by air pollutants is asthma.  It is believed that some air pollutants have the ability to cause asthma attacks, or to intensify the effect that another pollutant residing in the throat can have in causing an attack (“Case Studies”).  Over the past few years a short-term increases in asthma related deaths have been associated with outdoor air pollution (“Case Studies”).  Occupational asthma is the most common occupational respiratory problem in many developed countries (“Case Studies”).  Although it is rarely reported or diagnosed, it is still an important effect that the environment has on occupational health.                

            The effect of temperature and humidity in the form of heat can have some serious effects on occupational health.  High temperatures have the ability to produce mental confusion in the workers.  This inhibits the worker’s ability to perform the task that they have been assigned, and it also has the potential to cause them to perform acts that are unsafe to themselves and those around them.  When temperatures reach extreme levels, the risk of accidents happening on the job sight also increases (Shanks 45).  Some of the minor effects that a rise in temperature can cause include heat cramps, heat syncope dehydration, and heat exhaustion (Shanks 45).  One of the more serious problems that can be caused as a result of high temperatures is heatstroke.  This illness has the potential to cause death especially during heat waves.  The workers that tend to be the most at risk for developing heat-related illnesses include those in the occupations of construction, agriculture, military occupations, and professional athletes (Shanks 46).  Some of the factors of heat that also contribute to its effects on workers are the exposure time, as well as the type of task that is being performed (Ramsey 157).       

A study that took place in the United Arab Emirates attempted to find the connection between temperature and humidity compared to the number of cases of heatstroke amongst laborers.  This area of the world has temperatures that often exceed fifty degrees Celsius with a one hundred percent humidity rate (Shanks 45).  These high temperatures have the potential to be dangerous to the laborers who work outdoors.  This study took place in 1998 during the months of June, July, and August, and a record was taken each day of the number of patients that were treated for heatstroke at Abu Dhabi, the local hospital (Shanks 46).  Other patients suffering from minor heat conditions were not used in the study.  The highest and lowest temperature of each day was recorded according to official meteorology data, and these temperatures were taken from a construction site, a relevant place to the study.  Statistical tests were done to determine whether or not a relationship exists between the effect of temperature and humidity on the number of heatstroke cases.  A linear log model was used to interpret that data that was entered into the SAS System for Windows version 6.12 (Shanks 46).  The number of patients represented the dependent variable.  The results were that over the three months, 345 healthy males were treated for heatstroke at the hospital (Shanks 46).  After plotting the data, and finding these results, the final conclusion was that there was not a significant predictive relationship between the two variables.  Despite the fact that this study proves that the relationship is unpredictable still does not mean that the two variables are not related.        

            There are many ways that college students, as well as people in general, can help to improve occupational health.  Staying informed on the issues involving occupational health will allow a person to make educated decisions.  Knowing the causes and effects can help to reduce the number of cases of illnesses such as asthma attacks and heatstroke.  Also, staying up to date with the current issues happening in the environment can help a person improve occupational health.  These issues are constantly in the news and the weather, and studying how the environment and climate is changing can help in the effort to improve the occupational health of this country. 

Bibliography

“An Ensemble of Definitions.” Health.gov. 20 Nov 1998. U.S. Department of Health and Human                       Services. 18 Nov 2007                                                                                                                    http://www.health.gov/environment/DefinitionsofEnvHealth/ehdef2.htm

“Case studies in Environmental Medicine.” Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.              2007. Department of Health and Human Services. 18 Nov 2007                                                    <http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HEC/CSEM/asthma/envfactors.html>

Ramsey, Jerry D. (1995) “Task performance in heat: a review,” Ergonomics, 38:1, 154-165.

Shanks, N. and Papworth, G., 2001: Environmental factors and heatstroke. Occupational        Medicine, 51, 45-49.