Cardiovascular risk in chemical industry workers

Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases, including arterial hypertension, remain the main causes of mortality and disability among people of working age. Working conditions, stress, exposure to chemical and physical factors, as well as socio-psychological factors, play an important role in the development of these diseases.

The purpose of the study. To identify priority risk factors for the development of hypertension among chemical industry workers and to substantiate the directions of preventive measures.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted at two chemical plants, with the participation of six hundred forty three employees, including 551 apparatchiks from two different industries. To assess the working conditions, we used production control data, own research, as well as the results of in-depth medical examinations. Machine learning methods, including the Cart Boost algorithm and SHAPE interpretation, were used to analyze risk factors.

Results. The results of the study showed the prevalence of hypertension among ethylene-propylene production workers was higher (34.3%) than in ethylbenzene-styrene production (31.8%) and among Automation Center workers (27.2%). In the group of ethylene-propylene production devices, the greatest role in the development of hypertension was played by work experience in harmful conditions (20.6%), smoking (20.2%), age (18.1%), overweight (11.0%) and lipid metabolism disorders. The analysis showed that the greatest contribution to the risk of hypertension in ethylbenzene-styrene workers was made by seniority (23.8%), age (13.6%), overweight (7.1%), smoking (6.1%) and lipid disorders.

Limitations. The main sample of the study is limited to the staff of two chemical industries (ethylbenzene-styrene and ethylene-propylene), which narrows the possibilities of generalizing the results to other professional groups or industries. Additional studies with broader samples could identify other important factors affecting the health of workers, as well as take into account the risks for workers in other chemical and industrially hazardous industries with different working conditions.

Conclusion. A comparative assessment of working conditions at the two plants showed ethylbenzene-styrene production to have safer working conditions due to high automation, which reduced the impact of harmful factors on workers’ health. The main risk factors for hypertension are work experience, dyslipidemia, smoking, overweight, and stress. Comprehensive preventive measures are needed to improve working conditions and reduce stress among chemical workers.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the local ethical committee of the Ufa Scientific Research Institute of Occupational Medicine and Human Ecology (meeting protocol No. 01-11 dated 22.11.2025), and the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association (as amended by the 75^th General Assembly of the WMA, Helsinki, Finland, October 2024) was carried out. The survey participants gave informed voluntary consent to conduct it.

Contribution:
Shapoval I.V. – research concept and design, text writing, collection and processing of material;
Karimova L.K. – research concept and design, editing;
Kaptsov V.A. – approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Muldasheva N.A., Zaidullin I.I., Gimaeva Z.F. – material processing, statistical processing, editing;
Beigul N.A. – editing.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

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

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: March 11, 2025 / Revised: June 2, 2025 / Accepted: June 26, 2025 / Published: March 13, 2026

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