REVIEW
Public Health Rev.
Volume 46 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/phrs.2025.1608224
Associations between occupational exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sleep problems
Amir Hossein Khoshakhlagh 1
Saeid Yazdanirad 2
Christopher Drake 3
Justin Iqal 3
Dinh Bui 4
1. Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran, Isfahan, 8713781147
2. Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
3. Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, United States, Michigan, MI 48202
4. The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, Victoria, 3010
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Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study, as a systematic review and meta-analysis, is to summarize the evidence on the effects of occupational exposure to VOCs on sleep quality. Methods: We used five electronic bibliographic databases to identify eligible studies. Three groups of keywords were applied in the search strategy. In evaluating the quality of studies and risk of bias, we utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E) instruments, respectively. The pooled values were also calculated by meta-analysis. Results: 37 articles were included in the study. There was a consistent finding that exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) adversely affected sleep in workers across various professions. The pooled value of the odds ratio of sleep problems because of exposure to VOCs was 1.60 (95% CI [1.01, 2.19]). Conclusion: Most studies indicated that occupational exposure to VOCs can significantly influence the sleep of workers in various professions. The exposure can be associated with a variety of sleep problems.
Summary
Keywords
systematic review, Meta-analysis, Sleep, occupational exposure, VOCs
Received
06 December 2024
Accepted
04 September 2025
Copyright
© 2025 Khoshakhlagh, Yazdanirad, Drake, Iqal and Bui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Saeid Yazdanirad, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.