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Pages 175-192

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From page 175...
... 175 Jonathan Dropkin Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine Robin Mary Gillespie City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies Lewis Pepper Queens College Contents 176 Introduction 177 Health Factors Associated with Restroom Access for Transit Vehicle Operators 177 Risk Factors, Explained 177 Water as Mediator 178 Areas of Potential Health Impact of Restricted Restroom Access 178 Mood and Cognition 179 Cardiovascular System -- Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke 180 Gastrointestinal System 180 Constipation 180 Colorectal Cancer 181 Urinary Tract 181 Bladder Problems 181 Urinary Tract Infections 182 Kidney Stones 182 Bladder Cancer 183 Reproductive System 183 Prostate Health 184 Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes 184 Male Infertility 185 Multiple Organ Systems: Toxic Shock Syndrome 185 Public Health Impact as Described in the Press 186 Health Issues and Changes That May Affect Restroom Access and Related Risk 187 Health Literature Summary 188 References A P P E N D I X B Summary of Health Literature
From page 176...
... 176 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access Introduction Transit vehicle operators have long felt that limited restroom access has a negative impact on their well-established health problems and on workplace safety. There is extensive evidence that transit employees generally, and bus operators in particular, have higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal problems (Bushnell et al.
From page 177...
... Summary of Health Literature 177 Health Factors Associated with Restroom Access for Transit Vehicle Operators The research team evaluated the evidence that restricted restroom access could adversely affect the health or safety of transit operators and the safety of the public. This review looks at its potential impact on biological systems and the pathophysiological mechanisms and pathways along which that impact could occur.
From page 178...
... 178 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access studies in which reduced fluid intake is associated with the release of a hormone that favors the development of hypertension, diabetes, and a variety of other low-fluid-intake disorders (Lang et al.
From page 179...
... Summary of Health Literature 179 was as strong as that observed for conditions associated with increased accident risk, such as fatigue and elevated blood alcohol levels. The report attributed this effect to the distraction caused by the urge to void, as well as increased pain if voiding was postponed for long enough.
From page 180...
... 180 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access workers cannot go to the bathroom and are concerned about how this affects their kidney function. One driver states there is "stress from one end to the other" (Whitford 2017)
From page 181...
... Summary of Health Literature 181 cancer in men. However, the association between exercise and water intake on rates of colon cancer in women was not statistically significant in this study (Tang et al.
From page 182...
... 182 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access Earlier research, focusing on case comparisons rather than workplace exposures, had mostly similar findings. One study found that infrequent voiding habits were seen in more than 60% of recurrent UTI cases; conversely, UTIs could be prevented by daytime voiding every 2 hours and one or two times at night (Lalli and Lapides 1969)
From page 183...
... Summary of Health Literature 183 of work in male motor vehicle drivers and males exposed to substantial traffic exhaust were at increased risk of cancer in the epithelial tissue lining of the urinary tract; the small number of women who were occupationally exposed made it difficult to assess their risk (Pesch et al.
From page 184...
... 184 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access might contribute to poor voiding functions and prostate-associated symptoms. Similarly, another report revealed that even young men exposed to prolonged sitting, infrequent voiding, and psycho social stress at work might be at greater risk of chronic prostatitis (Gao et al.
From page 185...
... Summary of Health Literature 185 In a large clinical study, the production of abnormal sperm (pathospermia) and lowered fertility were more common among occupational drivers than other patients being treated for male health issues.
From page 186...
... 186 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access Many news articles refer to health concerns of transit workers, such as long bathroom waiting periods that may last up to 5 hours, pregnancy risks, menstruation, UTIs, employer rules that disallow food on the trains, gastrointestinal distress, and digestive diseases (Priestley 2015, Oxfam America 2016, Johnson 2017, Hedgpeth 2011, Stangler 2015)
From page 187...
... Summary of Health Literature 187 gender; chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome; and temporary conditions such as pregnancy, medication- or stress-related diarrhea, or even brief gastrointestinal illness that comes on during work. The need for bowel movements can change in a similar fashion with many of these conditions.
From page 188...
... 188 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access References Adatto, K., K
From page 189...
... Summary of Health Literature 189 Embon, O
From page 190...
... 190 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access Lang, F., I Guelinckx, G
From page 191...
... Summary of Health Literature 191 Prasetyo, T., P Birowo, and N
From page 192...
... 192 Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access Wagner, G., L

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