Hanna Elizabeth G, Kjellstrom Tord, Bennett Charmian, Dear Keith
The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia.
Asia Pac J Public Health. 2011 Mar;23(2 Suppl):14S-26. doi: 10.1177/1010539510391457. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
The rapid rise in extreme heat events in Australia recently is already taking a health toll. Climate change scenarios predict increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in the future, and population health may be significantly compromised for people who cannot reduce their heat exposure. Exposure to extreme heat presents a health hazard to all who are physically active, particularly outdoor workers and indoor workers with minimal access to cooling systems while working. At air temperatures close to (or beyond) the core body temperature of 37°C, body cooling via sweating is essential, and this mechanism is hampered by high air humidity. Heat exposure among elite athletes and the military has been investigated, whereas the impacts on workers remain largely unexplored, particularly in relation to future climate change. Workers span all age groups and diverse levels of fitness and health status, including people with higher than "normal" sensitivity to heat. In a hotter world, workers are likely to experience more heat stress and find it increasingly difficult to maintain productivity. Modeling of future climate change in Australia shows a substantial increase in the number of very hot days (>35°C) across the country. In this article, the authors characterize the health risks associated with heat exposure on working people and discuss future exposure risks as temperatures rise. Progress toward developing occupational health and safety guidelines for heat in Australia are summarized.
澳大利亚近期极端高温事件的迅速增加已经对健康造成了损害。气候变化情景预测未来极端高温事件的频率和强度将会增加，对于那些无法减少受热的人群而言，其健康可能会受到严重影响。暴露在极端高温环境中对所有从事体力活动的人来说都是一种健康危害，尤其是户外工作者以及在工作时很少有机会使用制冷系统的室内工作者。当气温接近（或超过）人体核心体温37°C时，通过出汗进行身体降温至关重要，而高空气湿度会阻碍这一机制。精英运动员和军队人员的受热情况已得到研究，然而对工作人群的影响在很大程度上仍未得到探索，尤其是与未来气候变化相关的影响。工作人群涵盖所有年龄组以及不同的健康和体能水平，包括对高温敏感度高于“正常”水平的人群。在更炎热的世界里，工作人群可能会承受更多的热应激，并且越来越难以保持工作效率。对澳大利亚未来气候变化的模型显示，全国范围内极热天气（>35°C）的天数将大幅增加。在本文中，作者描述了与工作人群受热相关的健康风险，并讨论了随着气温上升未来的受热风险。总结了澳大利亚在制定高温职业健康与安全指南方面取得的进展。
