Vigilancia médica del trabajador sujeto a estrés térmico.

Abstract

Thermal stress results from the heat load that workers receive and accumulate in their bodies and is the result of the interaction between the environmental conditions of the workplace, the physical activity they perform, and the clothing they wear. In other words, heat stress is not a pathological effect that heat can cause in workers, but rather the cause of various pathological effects that occur when excessive heat accumulates in the body. When working under conditions of heat stress, the individual's body changes. They suffer physiological overload, since, as their temperature increases, the physiological mechanisms of heat loss (mainly sweating and peripheral vasodilation) attempt to shed excess heat. If, despite everything, the body's core temperature exceeds 38°C, it can cause various health problems, the severity of which depends on the amount of heat accumulated in the body. In recent years, this issue has become more important due to the high temperatures that have been increasing with climate change. What was once an environmental condition can now translate into a risk to workers' health. Worker exposure is more prevalent, for example, in the construction industry or in agricultural activities. In the latter, there has been greater interest in the presence of Mesoamerican Nephropathy, which has already been identified in some countries, but in some others, there is a lack of information or data on the subject. Occupational health professionals face a great challenge: to make these conditions visible and propose health programs in companies. We also need to influence public policies so that these risks are legislated in each country.