Hamerezaee Masoud, Dehghan Somayeh F, Golbabaei Farideh, Fathi Asad, Barzegar Loghman, Heidarnejad Naseh
Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Saf Health Work. 2018 Jun;9(2):232-235. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2017.07.003. Epub 2017 Jul 18.
This study was conducted to investigate the heat stress and semen quality among male workers in a steel industry in Iran and investigate the relationship between heat stress indices and semen parameters.
The study was conducted on workers exposed ( = 30) and unexposed ( = 14) to heat in a steel industry. After obtaining a brief biography of the selected employees, scrotal temperature, oral temperature, and environmental parameters were measured, and their semen samples were analyzed according to the procedure recommended by the World Health Organization. The heat stress indices, including wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and predicted heat strain (PHS), in their workplace were calculated according to environmental parameters (ISO 7243:1989 and 7933:2004, respectively).
Time-weighted averages of WBGT and PHS (35.76°C and 491.56 w/m , respectively) for the exposed group were higher than threshold limit values. The mean difference of environmental, physiological, and semen parameters (exception: pH of semen), and also WBGT and PHS indices were statistically significant ( < 0.05) between the two groups. Mean semen parameters were in the normozoospermic range. WBGT and PHS indices showed significantly "negative" correlation with physiological parameters (scrotal and oral temperature) and most semen parameters (semen volume, sperm morphology, sperm motility, sperm count; < 0.05); moreover, the correlation of WBGT with these parameters was stronger than PHS.
Semen parameters of the studied workers exposed to heat were in the borderline level of normozoospermic range, and their semen parameters were significantly lower than controls. For better assessment of occupational environment concerning physiological and semen parameters in steel industries, WBGT can be a more useful index.
本研究旨在调查伊朗一家钢铁行业男性工人的热应激与精液质量，并探究热应激指标与精液参数之间的关系。
本研究针对一家钢铁行业中暴露于高温环境（n = 30）和未暴露于高温环境（n = 14）的工人展开。在获取选定员工的简要履历后，测量阴囊温度、口腔温度及环境参数，并按照世界卫生组织推荐的程序对其精液样本进行分析。根据环境参数（分别依据ISO 7243:1989和7933:2004）计算其工作场所的热应激指标，包括湿球黑球温度（WBGT）和预测热应激（PHS）。
暴露组的WBGT和PHS时间加权平均值（分别为35.76°C和491.56 w/m²）高于阈限值。两组之间的环境、生理和精液参数（精液pH值除外）的平均差异，以及WBGT和PHS指标均具有统计学意义（P < 0.05）。平均精液参数处于正常精子范围内。WBGT和PHS指标与生理参数（阴囊和口腔温度）以及大多数精液参数（精液量、精子形态、精子活力、精子计数；P < 0.05）呈显著“负”相关；此外，WBGT与这些参数的相关性强于PHS。
所研究的暴露于高温环境的工人精液参数处于正常精子范围的临界水平，且其精液参数显著低于对照组。为更好地评估钢铁行业中与生理和精液参数相关的职业环境，WBGT可能是一个更有用的指标。
