Relating Ambient Heat to Site Clinic Visits for Heat-Related Symptoms Among Four Middle Eastern Aluminum Smelters.

Bernard, Thomas E; Manjunath, Gummanur; Wesdock, James C · J Occup Environ Med · 2025

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

This study aimed to describe the relation between clinic visits for symptoms of heat-related illness (heat-related visits [HRV]) and ambient Heat Index among aluminum smelters in the Arab Gulf States. Four smelters provided HRV data. Meteorological data from nearby airports provided data for Heat Index (HI). Three approaches to finding a smelter-specific trigger for heat stress management were examined. The rate ratios from Poisson regressions were 1.2/°C for one smelter, 1.1/°C for two others, and 0.96 (not significant) for the fourth; all showed no carry-over effect from preceding day. Using a logistic distribution provided a reasonable trigger. HRVs increased with the Heat Index for three of the four smelters. In this limited study, the trigger point based on the logistic distribution at P = 0.05 was the most protective.

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