Thermal and functional condition of microbiological laboratory workers when using personal protective equipment against biological factors

Abstract

Introduction. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) against pathogenic biological agents (PBA) by medical workers in microbiological laboratories is a mandatory requirement for infectious safety, however, low or absent air and vapor permeability of these PPE and their elements can contribute to disruption of the functional and thermal state. The aim of the study is a physiological and hygienic assessment of PPE against pathogenic pathogens based on indicators of the thermal state of the body when modeling the professional activities of microbiological laboratory workers. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the laboratory of personal protective equipment and industrial exoskeletons of Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health on 12 practically healthy individuals — male and female medical workers while simulating work activities and sanitary and epidemiological requirements for a microbiological laboratory. Results. The values of skin and body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation levels obtained in the dynamics of the study made it possible to determine the degree of stress in the thermal and functional state of the body of medical workers. The indicators obtained during the experiment were assessed in accordance with current regulatory documents. A number of thermal state indicators obtained during the study had statistically significant differences from their initial values at p<0.05. Conclusions. When using personal protective equipment against pathogenic pathogens under comfortable microclimatic conditions, an increase in some criterion indicators of the examined individuals was noted, in particular to the upper limit of permissible values of thermal state, which indicates the leading influence of PPE on the thermoregulation of the body and necessitates a reduction in the process of production activities and requires limiting the maximum duration of a work shift under given conditions is three hours, followed by a break to restore the thermal state and water-salt balance. Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with ethical principles and norms, an extract from the minutes of the meeting of the local ethics committee No. 9 dated 11/23/2022 was obtained.