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

Wagoner, Rietta; López-Gálvez, Nicolas; Zapien, Jill Guernsey de; Griffin, Stephanie; Canales, Robert A.; Beamer, Paloma I.

doi:10.3390/ijerph17062102

Cited by 37 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In some areas, 30–⁠40% of annual daylight hours will become too hot for work to be carried out ( Kjellstrom et al, 2016 ). Literature focussed on agricultural labour emphasises the challenges caused by physical labour under high temperatures, with dehydration often being the main cause of lost labour productivity ( Wagoner et al, 2020 ; Wästerlund, 2018 ). Heat stress is of particular concern in production systems that are dependent on high inputs of human labour and located in environments that are already hot, such as smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa, as highlighted in Frimpong et al (2017) and Yengoh and Ardö (2020) .…”

Section: Exposure Of Human and Natural Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of climate change on the livestock food supply chain; a review of the evidence

Godde

Mason-D’Croz

Mayberry

et al. 2021

Global Food Security

327

110

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The potential impacts of climate change on current livestock systems worldwide are a major concern, and yet the topic is covered to a limited extent in global reports such as the ones produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In this article, we review the risk of climate-related impacts along the land-based livestock food supply chain. Although a quantification of the net impacts of climate change on the livestock sector is beyond the reach of our current understanding, there is strong evidence that there will be impacts throughout the supply chain, from farm production to processing operations, storage, transport, retailing and human consumption. The risks of climate-related impacts are highly context-specific but expected to be higher in environments that are already hot and have limited socio-economic and institutional resources for adaptation. Large uncertainties remain as to climate futures and the exposure and responses of the interlinked human and natural systems to climatic changes over time. Consequently, adaptation choices will need to account for a wide range of possible futures, including those with low probability but large consequences.

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Section: Exposure Of Human and Natural Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of climate change on the livestock food supply chain; a review of the evidence

Godde

Mason-D’Croz

Mayberry

et al. 2021

Global Food Security

327

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Exploiting classical mechanics principles (e.g., leverage) to assist or augment biological movement, in conjunction with principles of thermodynamics to improve thermal comfort, has the potential to improve user acceptance of and benefits from exos. Not only has thermal discomfort been identified as a barrier to exo use [ 15 , 16 ], it has also been shown to affect productivity [ 39 , 40 ]. Improving thermal comfort therefore has the potential to increase exo adoption and impact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exoskeletons and Exosuits Could Benefit from Mode-Switching Body Interfaces That Loosen/Tighten to Improve Thermal Comfort

Elstub

Fine

Zelik

2021

IJERPH

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Exoskeletons and exosuits (exos) are wearable devices that physically assist movement. User comfort is critically important for societal adoption of exos. Thermal comfort (a person’s satisfaction with their thermal environment) represents a key design challenge. Exos must physically attach/interface to the body to apply forces, and these interfaces inevitably trap some heat. It is envisioned that thermal comfort could be improved by designing mode-switching exo interfaces that temporarily loosen around a body segment when assistive forces are not being applied. To inform exo design, a case series study (N = 4) based on single-subject design principles was performed. Our objective was to assess individual responses to skin temperature and thermal comfort during physical activity with a Loose leg-sleeve interface compared with a Form-Fitting one, and immediately after a Form-Fitting sleeve switched to Loose. Skin under the Loose sleeve was 2–3 °C (4–6 °F) cooler after 25 min of physical activity, and two of four participants reported the Loose sleeve improved their thermal comfort. After completion of the physical activity, the Form-Fitting sleeve was loosened, causing a 2–4 °C (3–8 °F) drop in skin temperature underneath for all participants, and two participants to report slightly improved thermal comfort. These findings confirmed that an exo that can quickly loosen its interface when assistance is not required—and re-tighten when it is— has the potential to enhance thermal comfort for some individuals and environments. More broadly, this study demonstrates that mode-switching mechanisms in exos can do more than adjust physical assistance: they can also exploit thermodynamics and facilitate thermoregulation in a way that enhances comfort for exo users.

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“…Working in large-scale commercial farms in Sonora, MSFWs conduct strenuous tasks while exposed to a wide array of occupational risks and hazards, such as extreme heat and pesticide exposure. We found that nearly all MSFWs reported working in extreme heat, most had core body temperatures reaching and exceeding 38 °C at some point during the workday, and all workers were dehydrated to some degree ( Wagoner et al, 2020 ). Also, many had high levels of organophosphate (OPs), pyrethroids (PYRs), and imidacloprid biomarkers in their urine; the highest pesticide levels were found during the summer, late in the harvest season ( Lopez-Galvez et al, 2018 ; López-Gálvez et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal assessment of kidney function in migrant farm workers

López-Gálvez

Wagoner

Canales

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

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Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is an epidemic that affects young agricultural workers in several warm regions of the world. However, there is a lack of monitoring of kidney issues in regions with extremely warm environments such as the Northwest of Mexico, a semi-arid region with a growing agricultural industry, where migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFWs) travel to work in the fields. The objective of this study was to longitudinally assess kidney functioning of MSFWs in relation to pesticide exposure, heat stress and dehydration in a large-scale farm in Mexico. We enrolled 101 MSFWs, of whom 50 were randomly selected to work in an organic certified area and 51 were randomly selected to work in a conventional area. We also enrolled 50 office workers within the same region as a reference group. We collected urine and blood samples from all workers in addition to demographic, behavioral, and occupational characteristics. The physiological strain index (PSI) was used to estimate workers’ heat strain. Sampling was conducted at pre-harvest (March) and late in the harvest (July). Linear mixed models were built with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as the dependent variable. We found a significant decrease in kidney function in MSFWs compared to office workers. By the late harvest, one MSFW developed kidney disease, two MSFWs suffered a kidney injury, and 14 MSFWs were at risk of a kidney injury. We found that the eGFR in MSFWs decreased significantly from pre-harvest (125 ± 13.0 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) to late harvest (109 ± 13.6 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) (p < 0.001), while no significant change was observed in office workers. The eGFR was significantly lower in MSFWs who worked in the conventional field (101.2 ± 19.4 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) vs the organic field (110.9 ± 13.6 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) (p = 0.002). In our final model, we found that dehydration was associated with the decrease of eGFR. We also found an interaction between heat strain and job category, as a significant decline in eGFR by job category (conventional/organic MSFWs and office workers) was related to an increase in heat strain. This suggests that pesticide exposure needs to be considered in combination with heat stress and dehydration. This study provides valuable information on kidney function in MSFWs, and it shows the importance of early long-term monitoring in farm workers in other regions where CKDu has not been evaluated yet.

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

Cited by 37 publications

References 44 publications

Impacts of climate change on the livestock food supply chain; a review of the evidence

Impacts of climate change on the livestock food supply chain; a review of the evidence

Exoskeletons and Exosuits Could Benefit from Mode-Switching Body Interfaces That Loosen/Tighten to Improve Thermal Comfort

Longitudinal assessment of kidney function in migrant farm workers

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