AIHA: Healthier Workplaces | A Healthier World
MAY 2021
Kidney Disease Among Agricultural Workers
Is Extreme Heat Affecting Kidney Function in Outdoor Workers?
Sugarcane cutter manually cuts the cane with his machete. Photo courtesy of Amanda Walker.
CONTENTS
KIDNEY DISEASE AMONG AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
IS EXTREME HEAT AFFECTING KIDNEY FUNCTION IN OUTDOOR WORKERS?
An unusual form of chronic kidney disease of “unknown” cause has grown in prevalence over the past three decades across agricultural communities in Latin America and South Asia. Growing evidence indicates that a cycle of heat stress and dehydration during intense labor in hot climates is likely a contributor to the epidemic.
BY JAIME BUTLER-DAWSON, LYNDSAY KRISHER, MIKE VAN DYKE, AND LEE S. NEWMAN
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JOURNEY TO YOUR BEST SELF
THE PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND MINDFULNESS Industrial hygienist Tim Paz met Amy McCae, a mindfulness training expert and life coach, through LinkedIn. Amy and Tim agreed to recreate their discussions about industrial hygiene and the benefits of mindfulness and emotional intelligence, or EI, for The Synergist. This article explores the potential for OEHS professionals to use mindfulness and EI to address challenges in both their personal lives and in their jobs.
  
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN AMY MCCAE AND TIM PAZ
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SHARKS AND SWIMMERS EVALUATING HAZARD, EXPOSURE, AND RISK DURING OEL SELECTION AND USE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY Occupational toxicologists and industrial hygienists in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries regularly face questions from workers about their exposures. Before we can answer these questions, workers need to understand the interrelated concepts of hazard, exposure, and risk. BY MICHAEL J. MCCOY, NADIA MOORE, AND CRAIG WILLEY
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CONTRIBUTORS
JAIME BUTLER-DAWSON, FEATURE AUTHOR
Jaime Butler-Dawson, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and the Center for Work, Health and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health.
TIM PAZ, FEATURE AUTHOR
Tim Paz, CIH, is a senior industrial hygienist at the Architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
 
MICHAEL J. MCCOY, FEATURE AUTHOR
Michael J. McCoy, MS, CIH, DABT, is senior managing scientist at Exponent in Oakland, California.
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The Synergist's mission is to provide AIHA members with news and information about the occupational and environmental health and safety fields and the industrial hygiene profession. The Synergist focuses on industry trends and news, government and regulatory activities, key issues facing the profession, appropriate technical information and news on association events and activities.
The Synergist's objective is to present information that is newsworthy and of general interest in industrial hygiene. Opinions, claims, conclusions, and positions expressed in this publication are the authors' or persons' quoted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, AIHA, or The Synergist.