Health risks from exposure to chemicals in Arctic enterprises

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

Introduction. Chemicals of various hazard classes are among the most common harmful production factors.

We aimed to study conditions for the occurrence, prevalence and structure of occupational diseases from exposure to chemicals at enterprises in the Arctic in order to exclude cases of early restriction or complete termination of the labour activity of workers.

The study design was to analyze data of social and hygienic monitoring “Working conditions and occupational morbidity of the population” in the Russian Federation in 2007–2020.

Materials and methods. We studied the data of social and hygienic monitoring “Working conditions and occupational morbidity of the population of the Russian Federation” in 2007–2020.

Results. In the Russian Arctic in 2007-2020, the share of chemicals in the structure of harmful production factors was 7.6%. They were the cause of 7.8% of occupational diseases, the number of which tended to decrease. Characteristic for this group of diseases is the predominant damage to the respiratory organs (74.6%) in workers in the nickel industry (68.3%). Also, a feature of the diseases was the formation in a shorter time (24.3±0.4 years); greater risk in women (relative risk (RR) = 3.48, confidence interval (CI) 2.91-4.16; p<0.001); greater risk of malignancy (RR=3.55; CI 3.13-4.02; p<0.001). Out of five hundred seventy one case of occupational pathology of nickel production workers, 355 (62.2%) were caused by water-insoluble nickel compounds. Other 188 (32.9%) and 28 (4.9%) cases were due to hydroaerosols of nickel salts and nickel tetracarbonyl, respectively. Out of 164 cases of intoxication, 138 (84.1%) had a chronic course and were mainly caused by nickel compounds (87.7%). The main cause of acute intoxication (n=26) was carbon monoxide (76.9%).

Limitations. Methods for determining concentrations of chemicals in the air of work areas do not provide an accurate exposure assessment in workers who use personal protective equipment.

Conclusion. To reduce the occupational health risks from chemicals, first of all, it is necessary, to decrease concentrations of nickel compounds in the air of the nickel enterprise working areas. In the prevention of certain forms of occupational pathology, priority should be given to respiratory diseases from exposure to water-insoluble nickel compounds, malignant neoplasms and acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

Compliance with ethical standards. This work was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The protocol and design of the study was discussed and approved by the local committee of the North-Western Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health of Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing dated 12.05.2021, Protocol No. 35.4. Since depersonalized archival materials were used, there was no need to obtain informed voluntary consent from previously examined individuals. Since depersonalized archival materials were used, there was no need to obtain informed voluntary consent from previously examined individuals.

Contribution:
Syurin S.A. — the concept and design, collection and statistical processing of material, writing text, editing, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;  
Kizeev A.N. — analysis of literature data, analysis and statistical processing of material the concept and design, collection and processing of material, editing text.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version. 

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: May 17, 2022 / Accepted: August 04, 2022 / Published: September 14, 2022

About the authors

Sergei A. Syurin

North-West Public Health Research Center

Author for correspondence.
Email: s.sjurin@s-znc.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0275-0553

MD, PhD, DSCi., chief researcher, Department of Arctic public health and life environment, Northwest Public Health Research Center, Saint Petersburg, 191036, Russian Federation.

e-mail: kola.reslab@mail.ru

Russian Federation

Aleksei N. Kizeev

North-West Public Health Research Center

Email: noemail@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8689-7327
Russian Federation

References

  1. Lemeshevskaya E.P., Kurenkova G.V., Zhukova E.V. Industrial Toxicology [Promyshlennaya toksikologiya]. Irkutsk; 2018. (in Russian)
  2. Valeeva E.T., Galimova R.R., Distanova A.A. Working conditions, occupational and work-related pathology in the polymer production workers. Sanitarnyy vrach. 2019; (3): 28–33. (in Russian)
  3. Galimova R.R., Karimova L.K., Muldasheva N.A., Valeeva E.T., Gazizova N.R. The foundation of the prevention of occupational morbidity in workers of petrochemical plants. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2019; 98(9): 967–71. https://doi.org/10.18821/0016-9900-2019-98-9-967-971 (in Russian)
  4. Bezrukova G.A., Novikova T.A. Current state of working conditions and health of employees of the chemical organ synthesis enterprise. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya. 2021; 61(6): 408–14. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2021-61-6-408-414 (in Russian)
  5. Ohlander J., Kromhout H., van Tongeren M. Interventions to reduce exposures in the workplace: a systematic review of intervention studies over six decades, 1960–2019. Front. Public Health. 2020; 8: 67. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00067
  6. Linauskiene K., Dahlin J., Ezerinskis Z., Isaksson M., Sapolaite J., Malinauskiene L. Occupational exposure to nickel, cobalt, and chromium in the Lithuanian hard metal industry. Contact Dermatitis. 2021; 84(4): 247–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.13756
  7. R 2.2.2006-05. Guide on Hygienic Assessment of Factors of Working Environment and Work Load. Criteria and Classification of Working Conditions. Moscow; 2005. (in Russian)
  8. Izmerov N.F., Kirillov V.F., eds. Occupational Health: Textbook [Gigiena truda: uchebnik]. Moscow: GEOTAR-Media; 2016. (in Russian)
  9. Klaassen C.D., ed. Casarett and Doulls Toxicology: The basic science of poisons. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.; 2019.
  10. Lipatov G.Ya., Adrianovskiy V.I., Gogoleva O.I. Chemical air pollution of the occupational environment as a factor for professional risk for workers of main occupations in the copper and nickel metallurgy. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2015; 94(2): 64–7. (in Russian)
  11. Serebryakov P.V., Kartashev O.I., Fedina I.N. Clinical and hygienic evaluation of health state of copper production workers in Far North. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya. 2016; (1): 25–8. (in Russian)
  12. Syurin S.A., Kovshov A.A. Working conditions and occupational morbidity at mining and metallurgical enterprises of the Murmansk region. Zdorov’e naseleniya i sreda obitaniya. 2020; (1): 34–8. https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2020-322-1-34-38 (in Russian)
  13. Mine Health 2012-2014: Sustainability of miners’ wellbeing, health and work ability in the Barents region – a common challenge. Guidebook on cold, vibration, airborne exposures and socioeconomic influences in open pit mining. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38111684.pdf
  14. Skripal’ B.A. Health state and morbidity of underground mines in mining chemical enterprise in Arctic area of Russian Federation. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya. 2016; (6): 23–6. (in Russian)
  15. Khamidullina E.A., Chemyakin A.V. Prediction of health damage risks caused by professional activities in the oil production industry. XXI vek. Tekhnosfernaya bezopasnost’. 2018; 3(2): 108–16. https://doi.org/10.21285/2500-1582-2018-2-108-116 (in Russian)
  16. Levanyuk A.I., Sergeeva E.V., Stavinskaya O.A., Repina V.P. Research the influence of professional factors on health of wood and wood-working industry workers in Arhangelsk city. Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. 2009; 11(1-6): 1233–5. (in Russian)
  17. Petrova N.N., Panshina V.S., Figurovskiy A.P., Topanov I.O. Working conditions for employees of the enterprise of woodworking industry. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2017; 96(4): 344–6. https://doi.org/10.18821/0016-9900-2017-96-4-344-346 (in Russian)
  18. Kosarev V.V., Babanov S.A. Occupational Diseases of Medical Workers [Professional’nye zabolevaniya medicinskih rabotnikov]. Moscow: INFRA-M; 2022. (in Russian)
  19. Syurin S.A. Peculiarities of occupational pathology trends in workers of various nickel productions in the Far North conditions. Bezopasnost’ i okhrana truda. 2012; (1): 50–4. (in Russian)
  20. Cherkay Z.N., Shilov V.V. The question of workers occupational diseases in the mining and metallurgical industry. Gornyy informatsionno-analiticheskiy byulleten’ (nauchno-tekhnicheskiy zhurnal). 2015; (S7): 641–9. (in Russian)
  21. Nikanov A.N., Chashchin V.P., Dardynskaya I., Gorbanev S.A., Gudkov A.B., Lagkhayn B., et al. Risk-based approach to improve workplace health in non-ferrous metallurgy located in the Arctic zone of Russian Federation. Ekologiya cheloveka. 2019; (2): 12–20. https://doi.org/10.33396/1728-0869-2019-2-12-20 (in Russian)
  22. Gorbanev S.A., Syurin S.A. Occupational diseases in workers of copper and nickel industry in the Kola Arctic (1989–2018). Zdorov’e naseleniya i sreda obitaniya. 2020; (10): 22–7. https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2020-331-10-22-27 (in Russian)
  23. Valeeva E.T., Karimova L.K., Bakirov A.B., Mukhammadieva G.F., Shaykhlislamova E.R. Features of the development of neoplasms among chemical workers. Kubanskiy nauchnyy meditsinskiy vestnik. 2017; 24(3): 22–7. (in Russian)
  24. Serebryakov P.V., Fedina I.N., Rushkevich O.P. Features of malignant neoplasms formation in respiratory system of workers engaged into mining and processing of copper-nickel ores. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya. 2018; (9): 9–15. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2018-9-9-15 (in Russian)
  25. Syurin S.A., Frolova N.M. Gender features of occupational pathology in the Russian Arctic. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2020; 99(6): 531–7. https://doi.org/10.33029/0016-9900-2020-99-6-531-537 (in Russian)
  26. Syurin S.A. To the question of occupational pathology developing under acceptable working conditions (on the example of workers of enterprises in the Russian Arctic). Sanitarnyy vrach. 2020; (1): 6–13. https://doi.org/10.33920/med-08-2001-01 (in Russian)

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2024 Syurin S.A., Kizeev A.N.


СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77 - 37884 от 02.10.2009.