Evaluating Occupational Morbidity Among Energy Enterprise Employees In Industrial Region Of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Our research project was aimed at studying the effects of an electromagnetic field of industrial frequency (EMF-IF) on employees of an energy company in Kazakhstan. Material and Methods — The object of our study was the health status of electricians (morbidity with temporary disability – MTD), engaged in the maintenance of power lines, relay protection systems and substations (220 and 500 kV) at an energy enterprise in Kazakhstan. The interrelation and dependence of the intensive MTD indicators on the hygienic factors at the workplace were determined, and the risks were calculated from the obtained data. Results — Unfavorable workplace conditions caused an increase in disorders of the musculoskeletal system (up to 77%), blood circulation (up to 65%), nervous system (up to 52%), skin diseases (up to 46.4%), as well as the manifold rise of the likelihood of neoplasm growth and respiratory diseases. For electricians, the relationships between the nervous system disorders (r=0.792), the circulatory system diseases (r=0.573), the musculoskeletal system ailments (r=0.672) and the EMF-IF parameters were discovered. At the same time, the dependence of the incidence rates of various diseases in workers on EMF, as well as moderate to high computed relative risks, implied the occupational genesis of worklace ailments: for nervous system – R2=0.628, cardiovascular system – R2=0.709, skin – R2=0.729, and musculoskeletal system – R2=0.413. Conclusion — As preventive measures for electricians, we recommended to wear individual exposure meters, to limit work in contact with EMF, to include an oncologist in the medical commission, and for trainees, to screen for oxidative stress proteins and chaperone proteins to exclude a predisposition to oncogenesis.