Assessment of occupational risk of upper respiratory tract pathology among caustic soda production workers

Introduction. The structure and prevalence of occupational and occupational-related pathology largely depends on the level of non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards of the harmful factors of the working environment at industrial facilities, as well as the completeness and quality of mandatory preliminary and periodic medical examinations of employees. Occupational health is actively studying the relationship between the hygienic parameters of production and the clinical and physiological parameters of the body to assess the occupational risk of pathological changes in the health status of workers, and therefore an interdisciplinary approach to the study of this issue is extremely relevant.

The study aims to provide scientific substantiation of methodological approaches to assessing the occupational risk of upper respiratory tract pathology in workers of caustic soda production.

Materials and methods. The authors have studied the peculiarities of the health status of 292 employees of a caustic soda production company. The work uses a set of hygienic, clinical, laboratory, morphological, instrumental, and statistical research methods.

Results. The risk of upper respiratory tract pathology among employees of a caustic soda production plant is determined by a chemical factor due to the predominant content of chlorine gas and metallic mercury in the air of the working area. Researchers have established the peculiarities of the formation of pathological processes in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract and bronchopulmonary system in workers of caustic soda production, depending on the variants and combinations of the influencing chemicals.

The study identified key indicators characterizing the effect of chemicals on the state of the respiratory tract. These include: a shift in the pH of nasal secretions to the alkaline side, a violation of the functional integrity of the epithelial layer of the upper respiratory tract, expressed in a decrease in its transport activity, as well as morphometric changes manifested in an increase in the index of alteration of ciliated and multilayered squamous epithelium, indicating a violation of the regulation of physiological processes in the respiratory system, which can have negative consequences for her general condition. Further research in this area may contribute to the development of effective strategies for the prevention and correction of the negative effects of exposure to industrial aerosols on the health of workers.

Limitations. The study is limited to a sample of individuals from certain professional groups.

Conclusion. The risk of developing upper respiratory tract pathology in employees of caustic soda enterprises is due to a chemical factor with a predominant content of chlorine gas and metallic mercury in the air of the work area. Based on the results of the study of functional and morphometric shifts in the upper respiratory tract, the authors identified approaches to early diagnosis, prediction of the development of respiratory pathology and minimization of negative consequences for the health of workers in professional contact with caustic soda chemicals.

Ethics. The survey of employees was conducted in accordance with the Ethical standard of the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association "Ethical principles of conducting scientific medical research with human participation". All the surveyed signed an informed consent to participate in the study. There is a conclusion of the Local Ethics Committee of the

National Medical Research Center for Otorhinolaryngology (Protocol No. 04/2016 dated 09/07/2016).

Contributions:
Fedina I.N. — concept and design of research, text editing;
Uchurov A.G. — collection and processing of material, statistical data processing, writing text;
Serebryakov P.V. — research design, statistical data processing, text editing;
Bolshakov A.V. — material processing, statistical data processing, text writing;
Fayzova Yu.M. — research concept, material processing;
Pankova V.B. — research concept, text editing.

Funding. The study had no funding.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 21.10.2025 / Accepted: 12.11.2025 / Published: 10.12.2025

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