Year: 2026 | Month: March | Volume: 16 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 123-127
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260315
Correlation Between Duration of Occupational Exposure and Serum Cortisol Levels among Textile Mill Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study
A. Abbas1, Leela Priyadharsini Balamurali2, Mahalakshmi. M3
1Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Government Medical College and ESIC Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Vinayaka Mission’s Medical College and Hospital, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Karaikal - 609609. Puducherry, India
3Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Government Theni Medical College, Theni, Tamil Nadu, India.
Corresponding Author: Leela Priyadharsini Balamurali
ABSTRACT
Background: Rapid industrialization has emerged as a defining character of modern economic growth. Noise is considered one of the most common occupational hazards. Cortisol is a hormone which is secreted as a response to stress. So, this study was done to evaluate serum cortisol levels and determine their correlation with the duration of noise exposure among textile mill workers.
Materials and methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in an autoloom-textile mill among their workers. The study group was divided into three groups – Control (n=30), Day shift workers (n = 30) and night shift workers (n = 30). Serum cortisol was measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) method.
Results: One- way ANOVA test revealed a statistically significant difference in mean serum cortisol levels among the three groups (F = 13.60, p < 0.001). Post-hoc analysis using the Tukey test demonstrated that the mean serum cortisol levels were significantly lower in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p = 0.0005) and Group 3 (p < 0.001). Serum cortisol levels showed a significant positive correlation with duration of noise exposure in all the subjects (r = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.08-0.45, p = 0.008). This dose-response relationship was strongest in Day shift workers (r = 0.41, p = 0.025) and borderline significant in Night shift workers (r = 0.35, p = 0.056), but absent in Controls (r = 0.12, p = 0.53).
Conclusion: Chronic noise exposure in textile mill induces significant Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation (F=13.60, p<0.001), in which day shift workers show strongest positive correlation with duration of exposure to noise (r=0.41).
Key words: Textile Industry; Hydrocortisone; Occupational Health; Noise, Occupational; Time Factors