Effects of occupational heat exposure on female brick workers in West Bengal, India

Abstract

BackgroundManual brick-manufacturing units in India engage a large number of female workers on a daily-wage basis for a period of 8 months per year. There are two groups of female workers in the brickfields: the brick molders and the brick carriers. These brickfields are mostly unorganized, and the workers are exposed to extreme conditions such as very high seasonal heat. The present trend of increasing temperatures, as a result of global warming and climate change, will put an additional burden on them.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effect of workplace heat exposure on the well-being, physiological load, and productivity of female brickfield workers in India.DesignA questionnaire study (n=120), environmental temperature, and weekly work productivity analyses were evaluated for 8 months in the brickfields. Cardiac strain and walking speed (subset, n=40) were also studied and compared in hotter and colder days amongst the female brickfield workers.ResultsThe subjects experience summer for about 5 months with additional heat stress radiating from the brick kiln. The weekly productivity data show a linear decline in productivity with increased maximum air temperature above 34.9°C. The cardiac parameters (peak heart rate (HRp), net cardiac cost (NCC), relative cardiac cost (RCC), and recovery heart rates) were significantly higher on hotter days (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGTout) index: 26.9°C to 30.74°C) than on cooler days (WBGTout index: 16.12°C to 19.37°C) for the brick molders; however, this is not the case for the brick carriers. As the brick carriers adapt to hotter days by decreasing their walking speed, their productivity decreases.ConclusionWe conclude that high heat exposure in brickfields during summer caused physiological strain in both categories of female brickfield workers. A coping strategy employed by the brick carriers was to reduce their walking speed and thus lose part of their earnings. The lost productivity for every degree rise in temperature is about 2% in the brickfields. This reduction will be exacerbated by climate change and may undermine the quality of life of female brickfield workers.

Risco de exposição à sobrecarga térmica para trabalhadores da cultura de cana-de-açúcar no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

“…Há estudos que analisam os agravos ou alterações nas respostas fisiológicas de órgãos ou sistemas do corpo humano, relacionados à exposição ao calor 17,19,23,24,25,26 . Outros trabalhos associam o calor com aumento da taxa de morbidade e mortalidade 27,28 .…”

“…A sobrecarga térmica ocorre quando há desequilíbrio térmico do corpo, isto é, recebe mais calor do que pode dissipar, causando seu aquecimento acima de 38 º C. Quanto maior a temperatura do corpo, maiores são os efeitos fisiológicos provocados pelo calor. A permanência em condições térmicas desfavoráveis pode causar o estresse térmico, resultando em debilidade do estado geral de saúde, alterações das reações psicossensoriais e queda de produção 22 .Há estudos que analisam os agravos ou alterações nas respostas fisiológicas de órgãos ou sistemas do corpo humano, relacionados à exposição ao calor 17,19,23,24,25,26 . Outros trabalhos associam o calor com aumento da taxa de morbidade e mortalidade 27,28 .…”

“…Na Tailândia, por exemplo, Tawatsupa et al 23 observaram uma relação do calor com as doenças renais. Sett & Sahu 25 relacionaram os efeitos do calor com o decaimento da produtividade no sistema produtivo de tijolos na Índia. No Canadá, Jay & Kenny 19 caracterizaram os riscos de exaustão com possibilidade de choque térmico pelo aumento da temperatura interna do corpo por volta de 3 º C.…”

Climate Change Adaptation in Urban India An Approach for Inclusive Formulation of Local Adaptation Strategies

“…of Rajasthan, 2011). Moreover, loss of productivity and health effects, such as those previously mentioned, in the manual brick-making sector, which employees millions of workers all over India, will increase with climate change (Sett and Sahu, 2014).…”

“…Although the vulnerability of rural populations is important due to their sensitivity to any changes in precipitation patterns or temperature changes (Panda, 2009), urban populations must not be ignored (Panda, 2011). In general, the poor are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change (Somathan and Somanathan, 2009;Sett and Sahu, 2014). In urban areas, the risk of flooding, heat-trapping, water shortages and air quality deterioration is expected to increase (Revi, 2008).…”