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Immune and inflammatory responses of Australian firefighters after repeated exposures to the heat
Walker, Anthony Keene, Toby Argus, Christos Driller, Matthew Guy, Joshua H. Rattay, Ben
Walker, Anthony
Keene, Toby
Argus, Christos
Driller, Matthew
Guy, Joshua H.
Rattay, Ben
Abstract
When firefighters work in hot conditions, altered immune and inflammatory responses may increase the risk of a cardiac event. The present study aimed to establish the time course of such responses. Forty-two urban firefighters completed a repeat work protocol in a heat chamber (100 ± 5°C). Changes to leukocytes, platelets, TNFα, IL-6, IL-10, LPS and CRP were evaluated immediately post-work and also after 1 and 24 h of rest. Increases in core temperatures were associated with significant increases in leukocytes, platelets and TNFα directly following work. Further, platelets continued to increase at 1 h (+31.2 ± 31.3 × 109 l, p < 0.01) and remained elevated at 24 h (+15.9 ± 19.6 × 109 l, p < 0.01). Sustained increases in leukocytes and platelets may increase the risk of cardiac events in firefighters when performing repeat work tasks in the heat. This is particularly relevant during multi-day deployments following natural disasters.
Keywords
occupational stress, inflammation, immune response, safety, cardiac risk
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Ergonomics
Book
Volume
58
Issue
12
Page Range
2032-2039
Article Number
ACU Department
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled