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Relationship between heat stress exposure and some immunological parameters among foundry workers

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Abstract

Occupational exposure to heat stress may lead to changes in blood cell count. The objective of this retrospective descriptive-analytical field study is to investigate the relationship between heat stress exposure and some immunological parameters among foundry workers. This study was carried out on 55 subjects of which, 35 were working in a foundry unit (exposed group) and 20 were working in a computer numerical control (CNC) machining unit (control group). The measurement method consisted of taking 10 cc of the subjects’ blood between 10 am and 2 pm and then performing the automated blood cell counting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the sample. Environmental parameters such as noise levels, lighting, and the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index were measured at the subjects’ workstations. All measurements were made in the first half of the month of July. The mean WBGT index was 22.5 ± 2.16 °C for the control group and 32.97 ± 3.22 °C for the exposed group. The laboratory test results show a significant decrease in white blood cell count and lymphocyte levels and a significant increase in neutrophil levels and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in exposed group compared with control ones (P < 0.05). IgM levels decrease under heat stress, but we do not observe significant differences between IgG and IgA levels between two groups. A significant negative correlation was observed between white blood cell count, lymphocyte levels, and IgM concentration with WBGT index and significant positive correlation was observed between neutrophil and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio with WBGT index. No significant correlation was observed between sound pressure levels and light intensity with studied immunological parameters. In conclusion, under heat stress conditions, leukocytes levels and immunoglobulin concentration may reduce and it may weaken and suppress the human immune system.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all of the workers in foundry industry who helped us in conducting the present study.

Funding

This study was part of a research project supported by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Grant no.14068).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center (SPIPRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Javad Jafari

  2. Department of Occupational Health and Safety at work Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety at work, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Daneshjoo Blvd, Velenjak, Shahid Chamran highway, Tehran, Iran

    Elham Akhlaghi Pirposhteh

  3. Workplace Health Promotion Research Center, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Somayeh Farhang Dehghan

  4. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Soheila Khodakarim

  5. School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mina Jafari

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  1. Mohammad Javad Jafari
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  2. Elham Akhlaghi Pirposhteh
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  3. Somayeh Farhang Dehghan
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  4. Soheila Khodakarim
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  5. Mina Jafari
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Contributions

Mj Jafari and EA Pirposhteh designed this study, analyzed the data, and wrote a draft of this manuscript. Others were involved in guiding data analysis and the critical revision and also provided technical support. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Elham Akhlaghi Pirposhteh.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Ethical Code: IR.SBMU.PHNS.REC.1396.150). Details of the study were explained for all participating subjects and informed consent forms were signed by each participant.

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Jafari, M.J., Pirposhteh, E.A., Dehghan, S.F. et al. Relationship between heat stress exposure and some immunological parameters among foundry workers. Int J Biometeorol 64, 853–861 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-020-01874-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-020-01874-4

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