Projects in Thailand

Investigators:

International colleague(s) and unit:
Mae Fah Luang University, School of Health Science, Urban Safety Innovation Research Group (USIR)

University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Richard Neitzel, PhD, MS, CIH, FAIHA
 
Candidates at the Masters and PhD levels are welcome to get involved in one
of three available projects with Dr. Kowit Nambunmee:

Project 1: A healthy office model development after COVID-19 pandemic era

After the COVID-19 pandemic era, offices are going to reopen, but how can we confirm the safety of office spaces? This project aims to study office environment factors that are related to airborne pathogen distribution, work efficiency, and worker stress. The goal of the project is to set up guidelines for healthy offices that allow workers to work continuously in a safe and healthy environment.

Anticipated activities:

  • Literature review
  • Workplace environment determinations, including assessment of light, noise, heat, and
    ventilation
  • Work in a team with engineers to design a healthy office guideline

Techniques or methods the students should be familiar with: 

  • Industrial hygiene assessments of light, noise, heat, and ventilation
  • Report writing
  • Virtual meeting(s) before arrival Thailand is required to prepare students in advance

Suggested literature:

  1. Badayai, A. R. A. (2012). A Theoretical Framework and Analytical Discussion on Uncongenial Physical Workplace Environment and Job Performance among Workers in Industrial Sectors. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 42, 486–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2012.04.214
  2. Bergefurt, L., Weijs-Perrée, M., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., & Arentze, T. (2022). The physical office workplace as a resource for mental health – A systematic scoping review. Building and Environment, 207, 108505. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BUILDENV.2021.108505
  3. Shammi, M., Sultana, A., Hasan, N., Mostafizur Rahman, M., Saiful Islam, M., Bodrud-Doza, M., & Khabir Uddin, M. (2020). Pesticide exposures towards health and environmental hazard in Bangladesh: A case study on farmers’ perception. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 19(2), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2018.08.005
  4. Stoewen, D. L. (2016). Wellness at work: Building healthy workplaces. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 57(11), 1188. /pmc/articles/PMC5081153/
  5. Vimalanathan, K., & Babu, T. R. (2014). The effect of indoor office environment on the work performance, health and well-being of office workers. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 12(1), 113. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40201-014-0113-7

 
Project 2: Occupational health risk and health care access barriers among immigrant worker

At the border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, there is large-scale movement of immigrant workers seeking employment in Thailand. Language barriers make this population especially vulnerable to exposures to health hazards from work. How can employers or local government prepare in order to support these workers?  This study aims to determine health perceptions, accident rates, and health care service accessibility among this immigrant population. The final goal is to develop policy recommendations for both employers and local government to design optimal occupational health and healthcare programs.

Anticipated activities:

  1. Data base establishment
  2. Questionnaire checking
  3. Support on field work
  4. Drafting a report
  5. Data analysis

Techniques or methods the students should be familiar with:

  • Statistical analysis
  • Use of questionnaires
  • Virtual meeting(s) before arrival Thailand is required to prepare students in advance


Project 3: Insecticide exposure screening innovation development

Insecticide exposure creates a chronic disease risk among farmers. An estimated 10 million farmers in Thailand are at risk from exposure to insecticide from their farm activities. Insecticide exposure screening services are mainly located in big cities, which decreases the opportunity to screen for accumulation of insecticide in farmers’ bodies. The proposed innovation to increase insecticide exposure screening will increase access for farmers to evaluate their risk and provide an opportunity to adjust behavior before adverse health impacts occur. In this project, the needs of farmers and local hospitals for insecticide exposure screening will be assessed in order to design new innovations. One company has been introduced to the project to allow for market research, and to try to distribute the innovation to farmers. The final goal of this project is to increase insecticide screening services available in remote areas.

Anticipated activities:

  1. Cholinesterase enzyme determination in laboratory
  2. Drafting a report
  3. Data analysis
  4. Work with the company owner to get customer requirements

Techniques or methods the students should be familiar with:

  • Statistical analysis
  • Use of questionnaires
  • Spectrophotometry
  • Virtual meeting(s) before arrival Thailand is required to prepare students in advance

Suggested literature:

  1. Forté, C. A., Colacino, J., Polemi, K., Guytingco, A., Peraino, N. J., Jindaphong, S., Kaviya, T.,
    Westrick, J., Neitzel, R., & Nambunmee, K. (2021). Pesticide exposure and adverse health
    effects associated with farmwork in Northern Thailand. Journal of Occupational Health,
    63(1), e12222. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12222
  2. Nambunmee, K., Kawiya, T., Neitzel, R. L., & Seeprasert, P. (2021). Pesticide Spraying and
    Reduced Cholinesterase Activity among Hill Tribe Farmers in Thailand. Journal of Health &
    Pollution, 11(31), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-11.31.210908
     

Candidates at the Masters and PhD levels are welcome to get involved in one
of two available projects with Dr. Siriwan Kantisin:

Project One: Urine metabolomic profiling in farmers exposed to glyphosate

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally, especially in Thailand.
Metabolomics, the comprehensive analysis of small molecules or metabolites in an organism,
offers a powerful lens to explore the physiological changes resulting from glyphosate exposure.
This approach can reveal alterations in biochemical pathways, offering insights into the
herbicide's mechanisms of action and its potential toxicological effects. The aim of this project
is predict model of metabolic pathway changes and the degradation of metabolites that will
occur in farmers exposed to glyphosate.

Anticipated Activities:

  1. Collect samples from farmers and go to the field to share activities with them (Chaing Rai
    province)
  2. Analyze metabolomic profiling in urine (Chiang Mai province)
  3. Data analysis
  4. Draft a report

Techniques or models students should be familiar with:

  • Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS)
  • Statistical analysis

Suggested Literature:

  1. Labine, L. M., & Simpson, M. J. (2020). The use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass
    spectrometry (MS)–based metabolomics in environmental exposure assessment. Current
    Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 15, 7-15.

Project Two: PM2.5 Exposure in Immigrant Workers

Many countries in Northern Thailand, particularly areas like Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai,
often face air pollution challenges, PM2.5 particles. PM2.5 adversely affect human health when
inhaled. Immigrant workers in Northern Thailand play a vital role in the region's economic
activities. Often hailing from neighboring countries, these workers might not always possess the
same level of awareness or resources to address PM2.5 pollution, compared to local residents.
Given their potential vulnerability, understanding their knowledge, attitude, and practices
regarding PM2.5 is essential. The aims of thesis project are highlighting the unique challenges
faced by this group and understanding if there is a need for targeted awareness campaigns.

Anticipated activities:

  1. Data analysis
  2. Draft a report

Techniques or models students should be familiar with:

  • Statistical analysis

Suggested Literature:

  1. Li, Y., Li, B., Liao, H., Zhou, B. B., Wei, J., Wang, Y., ... & Wang, X. (2023). Changes in PM2. 5-related health burden in China's poverty and non-poverty areas during 2000–2020: A health inequality perspective. Science of The Total Environment, 861, 160517.

A note about the host site:

Mae Fah Luang University is a public university located in Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand.  

A note about the site location:

Chiang Rai, Thailand’s northernmost province, is part of the Golden Triangle region bordering Laos and Myanmar (Burma). It’s distinguished by its remote hill tribes who live in mountainous terrain accessible by trekking. Chiang Rai City, on the Mae Kok Rive, has a well known night market and the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), a modern Buddhist shrine with quirky modern sculptures and murals.