The Effects of Heat Stress on Bakery Workers: A Systematic Review

Background

Working in hot environments can cause diseases and reduce performance by upsetting the balance of physiological parameters of workers' bodies. Bakers are among the people exposed to heat stress continuously and daily. This review study aimed to investigate the effect of heat stress on bakers.

Methods

In this review study, the related articles based on keywords were reviewed using "IranMedex", "Science Direct", "PubMed", "Scopus", "Web of Science", "SID", "Google Scholar", and "Magiran" databases from the years 2000 to 2021. The used search terms were "Heat stress", "Heat strain", "Heat exposure", "Heat waves", "Workplace", "Baker", and "health effects". In order to extract the required data, all parts of the articles have been reviewed.

Results

Out of the 16 studies reviewed in this study, 43.75% were cross-sectional, 25% were descriptive cross-sectional, and 31.25% were performed according to other study designs. In all of the studies, the WBGT index was used to assess ambient heat stress. In most studies, the mean exposure temperature was higher than the WBGT-ACGIH limit, especially among traditional bakery workers. The findings showed that exposure to thermal stress significantly affects some hematological parameters of blood, oxidative stress, heart rate, and body temperature.

Conclusion

The situation of heat stress in the bakery environment is worrying in terms of health and reduced productivity of employees. Therefore, it is essential to take the necessary preventive and control measures to reduce heat stress and the resulting strain.

Concentrations and number size distribution of fine and nanoparticles in a traditional Finnish bakery

In bakeries, high concentrations of flour dust can exist and ovens release particles into the air as well. Particle concentrations (mass, number) and number size distribution may vary considerably but the variation is not commonly studied. Furthermore, the role of the smallest size fractions is rarely considered in the exposure assessment due to their small mass. The objectives of this work were to find out how concentrations and number size distribution of fine and nanoparticles vary in a traditional Finnish bakery and to determine the exposure of a dough maker to the nanoparticle fraction of the inhalable dust. Two measurement campaigns were carried out in a traditional, small-scale bakery. Sampling was performed at the breathing zone of the dough maker and three stationary locations: baking area, oven area, and flour depository. Both real-time measurements and conventional gravimetric sampling were conducted. Nanoparticle fraction of the inhalable dust was determined using an IOM sampler with a customized precyclone. Number concentration of fine and nanoparticles, and mass concentrations of both the inhalable dust and nanoparticles were high. The nanoparticle fraction was 9-15% of the inhalable dust at the breathing zone of the dough maker. Different sources, such as ovens and doughnut baking affected the number size distribution. Flour dust contained nanoparticles but most of the fine and nanoparticles were released into the air from the oven operations. However, nanoparticles are not a primary concern in bakeries compared to health effects linked to the large flour particles such as flour-induced sensitization or asthma and development of occupational rhinitis.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent baker

Invasive infection caused by Saccharomyces cerevisiae is rare. We report the first case of osteomyelitis caused by S. cerevisiae (baker's yeast) in a post-traumatic patient. The clinical outcome was favorable after surgical debridement, prolonged antifungal treatment and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Surgical techniques of gastrocnemius lengthening

This article summarizes the various alternatives for direct gastrocnemius lengthening and elucidates the relative strengths and tradeoffs of each as a means of providing balanced perspective in selecting the appropriate procedure for any given patient.

Baker, DC: A Canadian chiropractic survivor

This paper is an historical biography of a fortunate man. It begins with a glimpse of Ross E. Baker's origins in south-western Ontario, watches him going to school and working in Hamilton before joining the Canadian Army and shipping off to Europe to fight in the Second World War. At War's end, the article picks up Dr. Baker as he comes home, starts a family, becomes a chiropractor and sustains a viable practice. Now in the twilight of life, the good doctor is last seen content with his retirement, spending days at his cottage property, reviewing his memoirs and reflecting on the tumult, terror and eventual triumph of the D-Day landing at Normandy.