Industrial noise pollution and its effects on the hearing capabilities of workers: A study from saw mills, printing presses and corn mills

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain industrial noise pollution and its effects on the hearing capabilities of workers. The procedure adopted included noise measurements, otoscopy, audiometric evaluation and assessment of medical history. The results showed that noise levels in corn mills and saw mills exceed 85dBA. The average noise level measured in the printing industry was 85dBA. It was also found that 23%, 20% and 7.9% of workers in corn mills, saw mills and the printing industry have evidence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). A highly significant correlation was found between noise exposure level, duration of exposure and the development of NIHL in corm mills and saw mills but not in the printers. Hearing - impairment was also observed at the speech frequencies among some of the workers exposed to hazardous noise. These findings suggest that more specific intervention is required to protect workers exposed to such hazards at the work places employed in this study.


African Journal of Health Sciences Vol.11(1&2) 2004: 55-60