Heat, Human Performance, and Occupational Health: A Key Issue for the Assessment of Global Climate Change Impacts

Annual Review of Public Health

Volumn 37, Issue , 2016, Pages 97-112

  Kjellstrom, Tord ^a,b   Briggs, David ^c,d   Freyberg, Chris ^c   Lemke, Bruno ^e   Otto, Matthias ^e   Hyatt, Olivia ^c  

^a Health and Environment International Trust   (New Zealand)

^b UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^c Ruby Coast Research Centre   (New Zealand)

^d IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^e NELSON MARLBOROUGH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

Climate change; Health impacts; Human heat exposure; Productivity; Socioeconomic effects; Work capacity

Indexed keywords

CLIMATE CHANGE; GLOBAL CLIMATE; GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT; HAZARD; HEALTH HAZARD; HEAT STRESS; HUMAN; JOB PERFORMANCE; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REVIEW; SOCIAL HAZARD; THERMAL EXPOSURE; WELLBEING; WORK CAPACITY; WORKPLACE; ADVERSE EFFECTS; HEAT; HEAT STRESS DISORDERS;

CLIMATE CHANGE; GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT; HEAT STRESS DISORDERS; HOT TEMPERATURE; HUMANS; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; WORKPLACE;

EID: 84982859258     PISSN: 01637525     EISSN: 15452093     Source Type: Book Series    
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032315-021740     Document Type: Review

References (92)

1. ACGIH (Am. Conf. Gov. Ind. Hyg.). 2009. TLVs for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indicators. Cincinnati, OH: ACGIH
2. Bernard TE, Pourmoghani M. 1999. Prediction of workplace wet bulb global temperature. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 14:126-34
3. Berry HL, Bowen K, Kjellstrom T. 2010. Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework. Int. J. Public Health 55:123-32
4. Bridger RS. 2003. Introduction to Ergonomics. London: Taylor & Francis. 2nd ed.
5. Bröde P, Balzejczyk K, Fiala D, HavenithG, Holmér I, et al. 2013. TheUniversal Thermal Climate Index UTCI compared to ergonomics standards for assessing the thermal environment. Ind. Health 51:16-24
6. Brotherhood JR. 2008. Heat stress and strain in exercise and sport. J. Sci. Med. Sport 11:6-19
7. BurkeM, Hsiang SM, Miguel E. 2015. Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production. Nature 527:235-39
8. Casa DJ, Clarkson PM, RobertsWO. 2005. American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable on hydration and physical activity: consensus statements. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 4:115-27
9. CDC (Cent. Dis. Control Prev.). 2008. Heat-related deaths among crop workers - United States, 1992-2006. MMWR Weekly 57(24):649-53
10. Collins M, Knutti R, Arblaster J, Dufresne J-L, Fichefet T, et al. 2013. Long-term climate change: projections, commitments and irreversibility. In Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ed. TF Stocker, D Qin, G-K Plattner, M Tignor, SK Allen, et al., pp. 1029-36. Cambridge, UK/New York: Cambridge Univ. Press
11. Common MS, Stagl S. 2005. Ecological Economics: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
12. Costello A, AbbasM, Allen A, Ball S, Bell S, Bellamy R, et al. 2009. Managing the health effects of climate change. Lancet-Univ. Coll. London Inst. Glob. Health Comm. Lancet 373:1693-733
13. Dapi LN, Rocklov J, Nguefack-Tsague G, Tetanye E, Kjellstrom T. 2010. Heat impact on schoolchildren in Cameroon, Africa: potential health threat from climate change. Glob. Health Action 3: doi: 10.3402/gha.v3i0.5610
14. DARA. 2012. Climate Vulnerability Monitor 2012: A Guide to the Cold Calculus of a Hot Planet. Madrid: Fund. DARA Int. 2nd ed. http://www.daraint.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CVM2-Low.pdf
15. De Blois J, Kjellstrom T, Agewall S, Ezekowitz JA, Armstrong PW, Atar D. 2015. The effects of climate change on cardiac health. Cardiology 131:209-17
16. Dell M, Jones BF, Olken BA. 2009. Temperature and income: reconciling new cross-sectional and panel estimates. Am. Econ. Rev. 99:198-204
17. Dorgan CB, Dorgan CE, Kanarek MS, Willman AJ. 1998. Health and productivity benefits of improved indoor air quality. ASHRAE Trans. 104:658-68
18. Dunne JP, Stoufer RJ, John JG. 2013. Reductions in labour capacity from heat stress under climate warming. Nat. Clim. Change 3: doi: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1827
19. EdwardsMJ, Shiota K, Smith MSR, Walsh DA. 1995. Hyperthermia and birth defects. Reprod. Toxicology 9:411-25
20. Epstein Y, Moran D. 2006. Thermal comfort and the heat stress indices. Ind. Health 44:388-98
21. Field CB, Barros VR, Dokken DJ, Mach KJ, Mastrandrea MD, et al. 2014. Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution ofWorking Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.New York/Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
22. Gamble JL, Hess JJ. 2012. Temperature and violent crime inDallas, Texas: relationships and implications of climate change.West. J. Emerg. Med. 13(3):239-46
23. García-Trabanino R, Dominguez J, Jansa J, Oliver A. 2005. Proteinuria and chronic kidney disease on the coast of El Salvador. Nefrología 25:31-38. (in Spanish)
24. Gasparrini A, Guo Y, Hashizume M, Lavigne E, Zanobetti A, et al. 2015. Mortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature: a multi-country observational study. Lancet 386:369-75
25. Gibson O, Pattisson P. 2014. Qatar World Cup: 185 Nepalese died in 2013-official records. Guardian. Jan. 24. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/24/qatar-2022-world-cup-185-nepaleseworkers-died-2013
26. Goldman RF. 2001. Introduction to heat-related problems in military operations. In Textbook of Military Medicine, Vol. 1, pp. 3-49. Washington, DC: Dep. US Army
27. Hales S, Kovats S, Lloyd S, Campbell-Lendrum D, eds. 2014. Quantitative Risk Assessment of the Effects of Climate Change on Selected Causes of Death, 2030s and 2050s. Geneva:WHO
28. Hancock PA, Ross JM, Szalma JL. 2007. Ameta-analysis of performance response under thermal stressors. Hum. Factors 49:851-77
29. Hancock PA, Vasmatzidis I. 2003. Effects of heat stress on cognitive performance: the current state of knowledge. Int. J. Hyperth. 19:355-72
30. Hansen AL, Bi P, Ryan P, Nitschke M, Pisaniello D, Tucker G. 2008. The effect of heat waves on hospital admissions for renal disease in a temperate city of Australia. Int. J. Epidemiol. 37:1359-65
31. Havenith G. 1999. Heat balance when wearing protective clothing. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 43:289-96
32. Hemon D, Jougla E. 2003. Excess mortality associated with heat wave in August 2003 (Surmortalité liée à la canicule d'août 2003-Rapport d'étape). Tech. Rep. to the Minist. of Health, Family and Disabled Pers. (Rapp. remis au Minist. de la Santé, de la Famille et des Pers. Handicap.), Sept. 25. INSERM, Paris. (in French)
33. Holmer I, Nilsson H, Havenith G, Parsons K. 1999. Clothing convective heat exchange - proposal for improved prediction in standards and models. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 43:329-37
34. ISO (Int. Stand. Org.). 1989. Hot environments-estimation of the heat stress on working man, based on the WBGT-index (wet bulb globe temperature). ISO Stand. 7243. ISO, Geneva
35. Jay O, Cramer MN, Ravanelli NM, Hodder SG. 2015. Should electric fans be used in a heat wave? Appl. Ergon. 46:137-43
36. Kim Y, Kim H, Honda Y, Guo YL, Chen BY, et al. 2015. Suicide and ambient temperature in East Asian countries: a time-stratified case-crossover analysis. Environ. Health Perspect. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1409392
37. Kjellstrom T. 2000. Climate change, heat exposure and labour productivity. Epidemiology 11:S144
38. Kjellstrom T. 2009. Editorial: Climate change, direct heat exposure, health and well-being in low and middle-income countries. Glob. Health Action 2: doi: 10.3402/gha.v2i0.1958
39. Kjellstrom T. 2015. Impact of climate conditions on occupational health and related economic losses: a new feature of global and urban health in the context of climate change. Asia-Pac. J. Public Health. doi: 10.1177/1010539514568711
40. Kjellstrom T, Butler A-J, Lucas R, Bonita R. 2010. Public health impact of global heating due to climate change - potential effects on chronic non-communicable diseases. Int. J. Public Health 55:97-103
41. Kjellstrom T, Holmer I, Lemke B. 2009. Workplace heat stress, health and productivity-an increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change. Glob. Health Action 2(Spec. Vol.):46-51
42. Kjellstrom T, Kovats S, Lloyd SJ, Holt T, Tol RSJ. 2009. The direct impact of climate change on regional labour productivity. Int. Arch. Environ. Occup. Health 64:217-27
43. Kjellstrom T, Lemke B, Otto M. 2013. Mapping occupational heat exposure and effects in South-East Asia: ongoing time trends 1980-2009 and future estimates to 2050. Ind. Health 51:56-67
44. Kjellstrom T, Lemke B, Otto M, Hyatt O, Dear K. 2014. Occupational heat stress. Tech. Rep. 2014: 4. Health Environ. Int. Trust, Mapua, New Zealand. http://www.climatechip.org/sites/default/files/publications/TP2014-4-Occupational-Heat-Stress-WHO.pdf
45. Kjellstrom T, Lemke B, Otto PM, Hyatt OM, Briggs DJ, Freyberg CA. 2015. Heat impacts on work, human performance and daily life. In Climate Change and Public Health, ed. BS Levy, JA Patz, pp. 73-86. New York: Oxford Univ. Press
46. Knowlton K, Rotkin-Ellman M, King G, Margolis HG, Smith D, et al. 2008. The 2006 California heat wave: impacts of hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Environ. Health Perspect. 117:61-67
47. Kopp R, Hsiang S, Muir-Wood R, Jina A, Rising J, Delgado M, et al. 2014. American Climate Prospectus: Economic Risks in the United States. New York: Rhodium Group. https://gspp.berkeley.edu/assets/uploads/research/pdf/American-Climate-Prospectus.pdf
48. Kovats RS, Hajat S. 2007. Heat stress and public health: a critical review. Annu. Rev. Public Health 29:41-55
49. Leach G. 1975. Energy and food production. Food Policy 1:62-73
50. Lemke B, Kjellstrom T. 2012. Calculating workplace WBGT from meteorological data. Ind. Health 50:267-78
51. Liljegren J, Carhart R, Lawday P, Tschopp S, Sharp R. 2008. Modeling wet bulb globe temperature using standard meteorological measurements. J. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 5:645-55
52. Lundgren K, Kjellstrom T. 2013. Sustainability challenges from climate change and air conditioning use in urban areas. Sustainability 5:3116-28
53. Maloney SK, Forbes CF. 2011. What effect will a few degrees of climate change have on human heat balance? Implications for human activity. Int. J. Biometeorol. 55:147-60
54. McLeman R, Smit B. 2006. Migration as an adaptation to climate change. Clim. Change 76:31-53
55. McMichael AJ, Campbell-Lendrum D, Kovats S, Edwards S, Wilkinson P, et al. 2004. Global climate change. In Comparative Quantification of Health Risks, Global and Regional Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risk Factors, Vol. 2, ed.MEzzati, A Lopes, A Roders, pp. 1543-650. Geneva:World Health Organ.
56. Miller VS, Bates GP. 2007. The Thermal Work Limit is a simple reliable heat index for the protection of workers in thermally stressful environments. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 51:553-61
57. Mueller V, Gray C, Kosec K. 2014. Heat stress increases long-term human migration in rural Pakistan. Nat. Clim. Change 4:182-85
58. Murray C, Lopez A. 1996. Global Burden of Disease. Boston, MA: Harvard Sch. Public Health
59. Nag A, Nag P. 1992. Heat stress of women doing manipulative work. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J. 53:751-56
60. Nag PK, Nag A, Sekhar P, Pandit S. 2009. Vulnerability to heat stress: scenario in Western India. World Health Organ. (WHO) Rep. APW No. SO 08 AMS 6157206, Natl. Inst. Occup. Health, Ahmedabad, India. http://searo.who.int/india/topics/occupational-health/Occupational-Health- Vulnerability-to-heat-stress-scenario-of-western-India.pdf
61. Oke TR. 1973. City size and the urban heat island. Atmos. Environ. 7:769-79
62. Olsson L, Opondo M, Tschakert P, Agrawal A, Eriksen SH, et al. 2014. Livelihoods and poverty. See Ref. 21, pp. 793-832
63. Pal JS, Eltahir EAB. 2015. Future temperature in southwest Asia projected to exceed threshold for human adaptability. Nat. Clim. Change. doi: 10.1038/NCLIMATE2833
64. Parsons K. 2014. Human thermal environments. In The Effects of Hot, Moderate and Cold Temperatures on Human Health, Comfort and Performance, pp. 1-32. London: Taylor & Francis. 3rd ed.
65. RaleighC, Linke A, O'Loughlin J. 2014. Extreme temperatures and violence. Nat. Clim. Change 4(2):76-77
66. Ramsey JD, Bernard TE. 2000. Heat stress. In Patty's Industrial Hygiene, ed. RL Harris, Ch. 22. New York:Wiley. 5th ed.
67. Ramsey JD, Burford CL, Beshir MY, Jensen RL. 1983. Effects of workplace thermal conditions on safe working behavior. J. Saf. Res. 14:105-14
68. Rijal K, Bansal NK, Grover PD. 1991. Energy in subsistence agriculture: a case study of Nepal. Int. J. Energy Res. 15:109-22
69. Robine JM, Cheung SL, Le Roy S, Van Oyen H, Griffiths C, et al. 2008. Death toll exceeded 70, 000 in Europe during the summer of 2003. C. R. Biol. 331(2):171-78
70. Sahu S, Sett M, Kjellstrom T. 2013. Heat exposure, cardiovascular stress and work productivity in rice harvesters in India: implications for a climate change future. Ind. Health 51:424-31
71. Schrier RW, HendersonHS, Tisher CC, Tannen RL. 1967. Nephropathy associated with heat stress and exercise. Ann. Intern. Med. 67:356-76
72. SchultePA, ChunHK.2009. Climate change and occupational safety and health: establishing a preliminary framework. J. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 6:542-54
73. Sherwood SC, HuberM. 2010. An adaptability limit to climate change due to heat stress. PNAS 107:9552-55
74. Sims BG, Kienzle J. 2006. Farm Power and Mechanization for Small Farms in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agric. Food Eng. Tech. Rep. No. 3. Rome: Food and Agric. Organ. (FAO) of the U.N.
75. Smith KR, Woodward A, Campbell-Lendrum D, Chadee DD, Honda Y, et al. 2014. Human health: impacts, adaptation, and co-benefits. See Ref. 21, pp. 709-54
76. Tawatsupa B, Lim LL-Y, Kjellstrom T, Seubsman S, Sleigh A, Thai Cohort Study Team. 2010. The association between overall health, psychological stress and occupational heat stress among a large national cohort of 40, 913 Thai workers. Glob. Health Action 3:5034
77. Tawatsupa B, Lim LL-Y, Kjellstrom T, Seubsman S, Sleigh A, Thai Cohort Study Team. 2012. Association between occupational heat stress and kidney disease among 37, 816 workers in the Thai Cohort Study (TCS). J. Epidemiol. 22:251-60
78. Tawatsupa B, Yiengprugsawan V, Kjellstrom T, Berecki-Gisolf J, Seubsman SA, Sleigh A. 2013. Association between heat stress and occupational injury among Thai workers: findings of the Thai Cohort Study. Ind. Health 51:34-46
79. Titus DJ, FuronesC, AtkinsCM, DietrichWD.2015. Emergence of cognitive deficits after mild traumatic brain injury due to hyperthermia. Exp. Neurol. 263:254-62
80. Vanakoski J, Seppälä T. 1998. Heat exposure and drugs: a review of the effects of hyperthermia on pharmacokinetics. Clin. Pharmacokinet. 34:311-22
81. Warszawski L, Frieler K, Huber V, Piontek F, Serdeczny O, Scewe J. 2014. The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP): project framework. PNAS 111:3228-32
82. Wasterlund DS. 1998. A review of heat stress research with application to forestry. Appl. Ergon. 29:179-83
83. Watts N, AdgerWN, Agnolucci P, Blackstock J, Byass P, et al. 2015. Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. Lancet 386:1861-914
84. Wesseling C, Crowe J, Hogstedt C, Jakobsson K, Lucas R, Wegman D. 2013. Mesoamerican Nephropathy. Report from the First International Research Workshop on MeN. Heredia, Costa Rica: IRET, Univ. Nac.
85. WMO (World Meteorol. Organ.). 2008. Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observations. WMO No 8. Geneva:WMO. 7th ed.
86. World Bank. 2014. Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal. Washington, DC: World Bank
87. Wyndham CH. 1965. A survey of the causal factors in heat stroke and of their prevention in the gold mining industry. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. 65:125-55
88. Wyndham CH. 1969. Adaptation to heat and cold. Environ. Res. 2:442-69
89. Yaglou CP, MinardD. 1957. Control of heat casualties atmilitary centers. AMA Arch. Ind. Health 16:302-16
90. Zander KK, Botzen WJW, Oppermann E, Kjellstrom T, Garnett ST. 2015. Heat stress causes substantial labour productivity loss in Australia. Nat. Clim. Change 5:647-51
91. Zhao J, Zhu N, Lu S. 2009. Productivity model in hot and humid environment based on heat tolerance time analysis. Build. Environ. 44(11):2202-7
92. Zhou J. 2011. Climate change, health and migration in urban China. Front. Econ. China 6:592-615