Occupational health status in female workers in the Murmansk region

In Russia, due to the constant decline in population, special attention is paid to women's health, including occupational health.The aim of the study - to identify trends in the causes, structure and number of diseases (OD) among female enterprise workers in the Murmansk region in 2003-2023. We analyzed primary occupational diseases (OD) taking into account age, length of service, working conditions and types of economic activity of women in 2003-2009, 2010-2016 and 2017-2023. The source of information was the data from the social and hygienic monitoring of Rospotrebnadzor “Working conditions and occupational morbidity” and the Murmansk region occupational pathology registry. In the Murmansk region in 2003-2023, women accounted for 42.8 % of workers exposed to harmful production factors, and they accounted for 13.8 % of all OD. Their development was most often noted among nickel production female workers and in female painters and plasterers. Respiratory diseases were the most prevalent category (45.7 %), while chronic bronchitis (16.4 %), radiculopathy (11.9 %), vertebrogenic reflex syndromes (10.8 %) and bronchial asthma (9.8 %) were the most prevalent nosological units of occupational pathology. Over 21 years, the structure of pathology showed a decrease in the proportions of chronic bronchitis, myofibrosis and osteoarthrosis, as well as an increase in the proportions of radiculopathy and neuropathy of the median nerve. In 2010-2023, there was an increase in female workers´ age (by 3.9 years) and length of service (by 4.5 years) at the time of OD first detection. These changes were accompanied by a rise in the number of diseases per worker (from 1.97 ± 0.10 to 2.54 ± 0.17 cases, p = 0.004). In 2017-2023, there was also an increase in the proportion of malignant neoplasms in the overall structure of occupational pathology. The practical implementation of the new data obtained is relevant for enterprises in the Murmansk region with hazardous production facilities, where female labor is widely used. The prevention of radiculopathy and malignant neoplasms deserves special attention.