The Nexus between Workplace Exposure for Wood, Welding, Motor Mechanic, and Oil Refinery Workers and the Prevalence of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Main Authors: Sultan Ayoub Meo, Thamir Al-khlaiwi, Abdulelah Adnan Abukhalaf, Ali Abdullah Alomar, Omar Mohammed Alessa, Faris Jamal Almutairi, Majed Mohammed Alasbali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: environmental pollution; workplace; prevalence; type-2 diabetes mellitus
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3992
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

Workplace exposure in various occupational and industrial sectors is an emerging health concern worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the nexus between workplace exposure for wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery workers and the prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Initially, 2500 male volunteers who were wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery workers were interviewed. After an examination of their demographics and medical history, 1408 non-smoking wood (158), welding (560), motor mechanic (272), and oil refinery workers (217), along with 201 control subjects, were selected. The participants’ mean age was 36.59 ± 0.29 years and the mean body mass index was 26.14 ± 0.11 kg/m². The selected industry workers had been exposed to their respective wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery workplaces for 8 h per day, six days per week. The American Diabetic Association (ADA)-based glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) criterion was used to diagnose prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects with an HbA1c of less than 5.7% were regarded as non-diabetics, subjects with an HbA1c of 5.7%–6.4% were considered prediabetics, and subjects with an HbA1c of more than 6.4% were considered diabetics. In wood industry workers, the prevalence of prediabetes (PD) was 64 (40.50%) and in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), it was 21 (13.29%); in welding workers, the prevalence of prediabetes was 261 (46.60%), and for T2DM, it was 90 (16.07%); in motor mechanic workers, the prevalence of prediabetes was 110 (40.44%), and for T2DM, it was 126 (46.32%); and in oil refinery workers, the prevalence of prediabetes was 80 (36.86%), and for T2DM, it was 35 (16.12%). However; the combined prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM among wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery workers was 421 (34.79%) and 515 (42.66%), respectively. The prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM among workers increased with the duration of working exposure in the wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery industries. A one-year working exposure in these industries caused an increase of 0.03% in HbA1c. Workplace exposure in wood, welding, motor mechanic, and oil refinery industries increased the risk of prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM among the workers and affected the diabetes etiology.