Evaluation of Knowledge and Self-Awareness of Polish Soldiers Regarding Exposure to Chemical and Physical Factors in Their Place of Service/Work

Abstract

Introduction: Soldiers constitute a professional group carrying out their duties in variable, often challenging environmental conditions, including harmful and burdensome ones. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 1331 soldiers. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire comprising 48 questions. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the studied group. The chi-square test was employed to examine the relationship between variables. A 95% confidence interval was adopted, with a significance level of p = 0.05. Results: One in four soldiers work with low and one in five with moderate exposure to harmful chemical factors. Almost 10% of respondents lack knowledge about the types of chemical factors present during their service. One in five soldiers work with low and one in eight with moderate exposure to ionizing radiation. Approximately 5% of survey participants lack knowledge about the types of physical factors. One in three soldiers are unaware of the carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of the aforementioned factors. Conclusions: The systematic enhancement of knowledge and awareness among army members will help minimize the consequences of exposure to harmful conditions.