Occupational heat stress among female agricultural workers in the Jordan Valley, Palestine

Heat stress and extreme weather events are increasingly recognized as significant consequences of climate change, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, whose exposure and adaptive capacity are shaped by social, political, and economic conditions. In the context of occupational health, workers engaged in outdoor labor are among the most exposed groups, with agricultural workers facing particularly high risks due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures and extreme weather conditions. In politically constrained and resource-limited settings such as the Jordan Valley, Palestine, female agricultural workers face intersecting environmental, gendered, and structural vulnerabilities that may intensify heat-related health risks.

This study examined heat exposure and its associated health effects among female agricultural workers in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, Palestine.

A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and August 2020 in 8 agricultural communities. A total of 356 women aged 18 yr and above participated in structured interviews assessing socio-demographics, work conditions, heat exposure, hydration, and heat-related symptoms, including kidney disease. Meteorological data for June to August 2019 were obtained from 3 regional weather stations and used to calculate the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) levels during peak agricultural months. Blood and urine tests were done among 35 women.

Participants had a mean age of 38.9 yr and an average of 16.1 yr of agricultural work experience. Most women worked ≥6 d/wk, and 59.5% reported performing vigorous work. The majority (73.8%) worked mainly outdoors or in greenhouses, with 94.4% reporting summer heat as a problem. Peak WBGT values reached 35.6 °C in Jericho at midday. Common symptoms included tiredness (43.5%), dizziness (44.6%), and severe headache (45.6%), significantly associated with lack of access to rest areas, toilets, or drinking water (all P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that women performing vigorous work had increased odds of excessive sweating, thirst, and fatigue (P < 0.001). Kidney stone prevalence was also significantly associated with heavy work, water scarcity, and lack of toilet access. Statistically significant WBGT differences were found between women reporting and not reporting heat-related symptoms, with the highest difference observed for tiredness at 0.812 °C (P < 0.05).

Female agricultural workers in the Jordan Valley experience substantial occupational heat stress shaped not only by climatic exposure but also by gendered labor precarity, inadequate workplace infrastructure, and restricted adaptive capacity under political constraints. By situating heat stress within structural vulnerability, this study contributes to global discussions on climate-linked occupational health and highlights the need for gender-sensitive, context-specific interventions in climate-stressed and politically marginalized agricultural regions.