Air pollution in the working area of the laboratories of the petrochemical complex – a risk factor for reproductive health disorders in female workers

Abstract

Introduction. Protection of women’s health who combine work with maternity and care for children is one of the most critical areas of state social policy. The professional activity of female workers in harmful working conditions is associated with the impact of production factors on their bodies, which may also pose a potential danger to their reproductive health. According to Service of State Statistics (Rosstat), in the Russian Federation in 2017-2018, 22.8-23.4% worked in conditions that did not meet sanitary and hygienic standards, in the Republic of Bashkortostan - 20.6-21.7% of female workers. Materials and methods. The working conditions of female workers engaged in laboratory and analytical activities at petrochemical enterprises were studied. One hundred twenty measurements of noise, vibration, microclimate were carried out, 3074 air samples of the working area were selected and analyzed. The coefficient of summation of chemicals with a unidirectional effect of action and reproductive toxicity is calculated. Results. Hygienic studies found that female workers at the petrochemical complex were exposed to harmful chemicals, whose concentrations in the air of the working area were determined below the maximum allowable. These substances have a different nature of action on the body, including potentially dangerous to reproductive health. The summation coefficient of chemical substances with unidirectional effects and reproductive toxicity was in the range from 1.04 to 1.53, which, according to Guideline R.2.2.2006-05, corresponds to Class 3.1 of working conditions. There was an intensity of the labour process due to the three-shift nature of the work. Conclusion. Laboratorians, chemical engineers of the petrochemical complex were exposed to combined exposure to chemicals belonging to 2-4 hazard classes, many of which had a unidirectional mechanism of action and at the same time represented, to some extent, a potential hazard to women’s reproductive health. The overall assessment of working conditions of female workers corresponds to harmful class - 3.1, which requires the development of measures to reduce the occupational risk of violations of reproductive health.