Biologist Kiril Kandilarov, co-founder of the Kandilarov Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, said in an interview for BTA that his team is tracking the stress levels of the participants in the Bulgarian expeditions to Antarctica. The research will become more in-depth each year, he said, noting that it will continue for several years and then it will be seen, based on the collected data, where there is a change and how polar explorers are affected by the stressful environment, reported Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

Kiril Kandilarov will track the different stress levels of the participants in the 32nd Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica. He will compare the results of the research conducted before, during and after the stay of the Bulgarian Antarctic participants on the Ice Continent.

Stress levels blood tests

Kandilarov said that his team is collecting a database for each of the participants in the expedition, and the results of the tests are uploaded to an online platform where the doctor based on Livingston Island can track their condition. He said the results can be checked by both the lab technicians at the medical centre in Bulgaria and the doctor at the Bulgarian Antarctic base.

Kandilarov explained how the participants' blood tests and stress levels were measured before and during the expedition to Antarctica. If some of the indicators need to be more thoroughly examined in Bulgaria, there is a possibility that the blood can be frozen in a special refrigerator at a temperature of minus 20C and transported by the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421), he said.

All participants are tested in the same way, and specific tests are run, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men and breast cancer testing in women, Kandilarov noted.

Military commanders and RSV 421 officers had the highest stress level. Long travel also affects stress indicators, Kandilarov added.