Pregnant women working in extreme heat are more prone to miscarriage and stillbirth, new study suggests

The study, which started in 2017, is conducted by the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

About eight hundred women from the southern state of India took part in the research. Half of them used to work in environments where there is more exposure to sunlight and heat, like brick kilns, agriculture and flats. The other half of the lot was employed in cooler workspaces such as schools and hospitals.

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Though there is no universal threshold for how much heat is considered to be too hot, the impact of heat on the human body is rather dependent on the difference between how much heat we are used to and how much heat our body is used to, explains Professor Jane Hirst, one of the scientists related to the research.

Working in extreme heat can double pregnancy risks such as miscarriage and stillbirth

Though the study was conducted under Indian climate and weather, the same goes for pregnant women all over the world. Prof Hirst, who is a UK-based consultant obstetrician, and Professor of Global Women’s Health at medical research organisation The George Institute, said that it is true that pregnant women in India are “at the forefront of experiencing climate change”.

But as Earth’s average temperature is expected to rise by three degrees by the end of the century, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already issued a warning of an “existential threat to all of us” with pregnant women facing “some of the gravest consequences”.

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Previous studies have shown that with rising heat waves, there has been a 15 per cent rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth. The point to be noted here is that these studies were conducted in countries like the US and Australia.

The latest findings from this study are more worrying and have wider implications, as per Prof Hirst.

“The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects [on pregnancies] can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK,” said Prof Hirst.

There is currently no official international advice for pregnant working women in the heat.

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For the study in India, the researchers used what is called the wet-bulb-globe-temperature (WBGT), which measures the effects of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat on human bodies.

WBGT readings are often lower than the temperatures you might see forecast on the TV or a weather app.

The safe heat threshold for people doing heavy work is 27.5C WBGT, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.