Asset Publisher

Newsroom News
Research, Urban Planning, Environment and Health

Study by ISGlobal and CiSAL Named Best Original Epidemiology Article of 2018

The study, which explores the relationship between ambient temperatures and occupational injuries in Spain, was recognised by the Spanish Society of Epidemiology

16.10.2019
Workers
Photo: Image by Martinelle from Pixabay

The article “Evaluation of the Impact of Ambient Temperatures on Occupational Injuries in Spain,” published in Environmental Health Perspectives, has been named the Best Original Epidemiology Article of 2018 by the Spanish Society of Epidemiology. The award comes with a cash prize of €1,000.

The study was the result of collaboration between the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by ”la Caixa”, and the Centre for Research in Occupational Health (CiSAL), a mixed research group affiliated with Pompeu Fabra University and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute. The authors of the study include Xavier Basagaña, a researcher in the Air Pollution and Urban Environment Programme at ISGlobal; Jordi Sunyer, head of the Childhood and Environment Programme at ISGlobal; Èrica Martínez-Solanas, a researcher in the Climate and Health Programme at ISGlobal; María López-Ruiz, a researcher at CiSAL; and Fernando G. Benavides, a senior researcher at CiSAL.

The article was selected for its scientific quality, originality and impact on public health . During the study, researchers compiled the daily number of occupational injuries that caused at least one day of leave for the years 1994-2013 and daily maximum temperatures for the same period. Using these data, they calculated the number of injuries attributable to cold and heat, the corresponding workdays lost, and the resulting economic impact. The findings suggest that extreme ambient temperatures increase the risk of occupational injuries , with substantial health and economic costs for the country as a whole. “The findings of this study underscore the need for public health interventions to protect workers in the context of climate change,” commented Martínez-Solanas, the lead author of the study.

This year marks the 25th edition of the award. Previous winners include “Air pollution during pregnancy and childhood cognitive and psychomotor development: six European birth cohorts” (Epidemiology) in 2015, “Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in pregnancy and infant neuropsychological development” (Pediatrics) in 2013 and “Cognitive Function and Overweight in Preschool Children” (American Journal of Epidemiology) in 2010, all led by ISGlobal.