Possible Effects on Health of Ultrasound Exposure, Risk Factors in the Work Environment and Occupational Safety Review

Abstract

Ultrasonic waves are mechanical waves with a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz. Ultrasonic waves are emitted by devices that are used in industry or that have a medical or aesthetic purpose. There is growing interest in the effect of ultrasound absorption on the human body, since people's exposure to these acoustic waves has increased considerably in recent years. There are more and more devices that emit ultrasounds used for different sanitary procedures, aesthetic treatments and industrial processes, creating more possibilities of ultrasound noise, and therefore an increased risk of occupational hazard and occupational danger. Experiments on animals have shown damage to internal organs from receiving different ultrasonic frequencies. The main task of this work was to organize and summarize recent studies on ultrasound to reflect the current state of this technique and establish a systematic basis for future lines of research. This work has allowed us to better understand the unknown field of these high frequencies of sound, and highlights the need to carry out more studies on the ultrasound emissions that can be absorbed by the human body to determine how this energy could affect humans by calculating the maximum dose of exposure and developing manuals for the use of ultrasound-emitting equipment to protect the health of workers and all people. It is necessary to develop regulations by public administrations to improve the protection of workers, health professionals, patients and all people in general for better occupational safety, indoor environmental quality and environmental health.

Keywords: environmental health; indoor environmental quality; noise exposure; occupational hazard; occupational safety; occupational ultrasound; workplace exposure.

Figure 1

Keywords for issues related to the effect of ultrasound on environmental and occupational health in the period of 1900–2000 (Left) and in the last 5 years (Right).

Figure 2

PRISMA flow chart for literature search and selection of articles.

Figure 3

The fraction of the acoustic power leaving a transducer deposited in soft tissue up to a particular depth, depending on frequency. An absorption coefficient of 0.5 dB cm⁻¹ MHz⁻¹ has been assumed [6].

Figure 4

(Left) Contact exposure limits proposed by Nyborg in 1978. (Right) Recommended maximum limits for exposure to low-frequency airborne ultrasound. Provisional criterion. Status 1985 [2].