Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
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Occupational Exposure to Physical and Chemical Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Reproductive Pathophysiological Effects in Women and Men

  • Soleiman Ramezanifar (Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Sona Beyrami (Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Younes Mehrifar (Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Ehsan Ramezanifar (Center of Excellence for Occupational Health and Research, Center of Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Zahra Soltanpour (Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Mahshid Namdari (Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Noradin Gharari (Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2022.06.07
  • Accepted : 2022.10.18
  • Published : 2023.03.30
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Abstract

The human reproductive system can be affected by occupational exposure to many physical and chemical risk factors. This study was carried out to review the studies conducted on the issue of the pathophysiological effects of occupational physical and chemical risk factors on the reproductive system of females and males. In this systematic review, the databases such as "Google Scholar," "Pub-Med," "Scopus," and "Web of Science" were used. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), the studies included in our study were published between 2000 and 2021. In order to extract the required data, all sections of the articles were reviewed. Out of 57 articles we reviewed, 34 articles were related to field studies and 23 articles to clinical studies. Among them, 43 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of chemical agents, six studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physical factors, and 8 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physicochemical factors on the human reproductive system. Physical (noise, heat, and radiofrequency radiation) and chemical (such as carbamate and organophosphate pesticides, benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, NO2, CS2, manganese, lead, nickel, and n-hexane) risk factors had pathophysiological effects on the human reproductive system. The presence of these risk factors in the workplace caused damage to the human reproductive system. The rate of these negative pathophysiological effects can be reduced by performing appropriate managerial, technical, and engineering measures in work environments.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study is related to project NO. 1400/29667 carried out by Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. We also appreciate the "Student Research Committee" and "Deputy for Research and Technology" in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences for their financial support of this study.

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