Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jun 18;47(12):6393-9.
doi: 10.1021/es305161z. Epub 2013 May 29.

Estimation of permanent noise-induced hearing loss in an urban setting

Ryan C Lewis  1 , Robyn R M Gershon, Richard L Neitzel
Affiliations

Estimation of permanent noise-induced hearing loss in an urban setting

Ryan C Lewis et al. Environ Sci Technol. .

Abstract

The potential burden of noise-induced permanent threshold shift (NIPTS) in U.S. urban settings is not well-characterized. We used ANSI S3.44-1996 to estimate NIPTS for a sample of 4585 individuals from New York City (NYC) and performed a forward stepwise logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of NIPTS >10 dB. The average individual is projected to develop a small NIPTS when averaged across 1000-4000 Hz for 1- to 20-year durations. For some individuals, NIPTS is expected to be substantial (>25 dB). At 4000 Hz, a greater number of individuals are at risk of NIPTS from MP3 players and stereos, but risk for the greatest NIPTS is for those with high occupational and episodic nonoccupational (e.g., power tool use) exposures. Employment sector and time spent listening to MP3 players and stereos and participating in episodic nonoccupational activities associated with excessive noise levels increased the odds of NIPTS >10 dB at 4000 Hz for 20-year durations. Our results indicate that the risk of NIPTS may be substantial for NYC and perhaps other urban settings. Noise exposures from "noisy" occupational and episodic nonoccupational activities and MP3 players and stereos are important risk factors and should be a priority for public health interventions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Notes

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Estimated NIPTS (dB) at 4000 Hz (A) and averaged across 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz (B) for subjects assuming 50th percentile noise-damage susceptibility (n = 4585).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. NIH. NIDCD Fact Sheet: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD: 2008. Publication No. 08-4233.
    1. WHO. Prevention of Noise-induced Hearing Loss: Report of an Informal Consultation Held at the World Health Organization; Geneva. 28–30 October 1997; Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 1997.
    1. Hasson D, Theorell T, Westerlund H, Canlon B. Prevalence and characteristics of hearing problems in a working and non-working Swedish population. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010;64(5):453–60. - PubMed
    1. NIOSH. Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Noise Exposure, Revised Criteria 1998. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, OH: 1998. Publication No. 98-26.
    1. Berglund B, Lindvall T, Schwela D, editors. WHO. Guidelines for Community Noise. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 1999.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources