Effects of nosocusis, and industrial and gun noise on hearing of U.S. adults.
Source
J Acoust Soc Am 1991 Dec; 90(6):3196-3201
Abstract
Hearing levels of unscreened U.S. adults were evaluated with respect to hearing losses of persons exposed to industrial or gun noise and having nosocusis. Statistical Abstracts of the United States was used to estimate that: the majority of male workers are exposed to 80 to 89 decibels-A (dB-A) but that 8% are exposed to between 100 and 119dB-A; and, that 20% of the nonindustrial workers and 60% of the industrial workers have been exposed to military or other gun noise. It was also estimated that 25% of the general population and 50% of the industrial workers suffer from nosocusis. The average of hearing levels at 50, 1000, and 2000 hertz (Hz) and 3000, 4000, and 6000Hz as well as hearing levels of females were tabulated. Almost 9 decibels (dB) of the 13.4dB difference existing between the hearing levels at high frequencies for otologically and noise screen versus unscreened male ears was accounted for. This average difference was for the average of the hearing levels at 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz, average for the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles, and ages 20 to 65 years. The difference was attributed primarily to nosocusis, then to exposure to gun noise, and exposure to industrial noise. Adjustments for nosocusis accounted for 2dB of the 5.9dB difference between the hearing levels of screened and unscreened female ears for these same frequencies and overall average. The use of the adjustment procedures reduced these differences to -0.5 and 0.9 dB, respectively.
Keywords
NIOSH-Publication; NIOSH-Grant; Noise-induced-hearing-loss; Noise-exposure; Audiological-testing; Humans; Sensory-thresholds; Hearing-level
Contact
Karl D. Kryter, Communicative Disorders San Diego State University 5300 Campanile DR San Diego, CA 92182
Document Type
Journal Article
Identifying No.
Grant-Number-R01-OH-02904
Source Name
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Performing Organization
San Diego State University, San Diego, California
