A Review of the Links Between Work and Heart Disease in the 21st Century

Abstract

This review explores the multifaceted exposures in the workplace that contribute to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including physical, ergonomics, chemical, biological, psychosocial, and emerging occupational hazards. These well-documented occupational hazards have long been linked to heart disease. Exposures arising from these hazards present significant concerns for worker health and safety. Moreover, heat stress is an emerging and increasingly pervasive threat, exacerbated by climate change, particularly in outdoor, high-exposure industries like agriculture and construction. While the epidemiological links between heat and CVD are well established, there is a critical gap in research on the physiological impacts of heat on workers' cardiovascular health. In particular, migrant workers are especially vulnerable to these occupational hazards, particularly in the absence of targeted, equitable interventions. As global temperatures rise, addressing these occupational exposures is important for protecting the cardiovascular health of the workforce and the expanding field of occupational cardiology.

Keywords: climate change; heat workers; migrant workers; occupational cardiology; occupational health and safety.

Figure 1

The connection between common workplace exposures and emerging occupational heat exposure. Heat stress, particularly in workers with preexisting conditions, leads to cardiovascular strain and increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, particularly under extreme heat conditions.