Hydration Status, Kidney Function, and Kidney Injury in Florida Agricultural Workers : Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

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Hydration Status, Kidney Function, and Kidney Injury in Florida Agricultural Workers

Mix, Jacqueline PhD, MPH; Elon, Lisa MS, MPH; Vi Thien Mac, Valerie PhD, RN; Flocks, Joan JD; Economos, Eugenia; Tovar-Aguilar, Antonio J. PhD; Stover Hertzberg, Vicki PhD, FASA; McCauley, Linda A. PhD, RN

Author Information

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Drs Mix, Mac, Stover Hertzberg, McCauley); Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Ms Elon); Center for Governmental Responsibility, Levin College of Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Ms Flocks); and Farmworker Association of Florida, Apopka, Florida (Economos, Dr Tovar-Aguilar).

Address correspondence to: Jacqueline Mix, PhD, MPH, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322 ([email protected]).

Funding for this study was provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health award number R01OH010657.

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 60(5):p e253-e260, May 2018. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001261

Abstract

Objective: 

Recent findings suggest that laboring in hot occupational environments is related to kidney damage in agricultural workers. We examined hydration status and kidney function in 192 Florida agricultural workers.

Methods: 

Blood and urine samples were collected over 555 workdays during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Urine-specific gravity (USG), serum creatinine, and other kidney function markers were examined pre- and post-shift on each workday. Multivariable mixed modeling was used to examine the association of risk factors with hydration status and acute kidney injury (AKI).

Results: 

Approximately 53% of workers were dehydrated (USG ≥1.020) pre-shift and 81% post-shift; 33% of participants had AKI on at least one workday. The odds of AKI increased 47% for each 5-degree (°F) increase in heat index.

Conclusion: 

A strikingly high prevalence of dehydration and AKI exists in Florida agricultural workers.

Copyright © 2018 by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

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