Effect of Contemporary Exposure to Mixed Organic Solvents and Occupational Noise on Hearing Thresholds of Workers

Saber Mohammadi; Yaser Labafinejad; Azadeh Amiri Rigi; Mirsaeed Attarchi

Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

The Official Journal of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

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Effect of Contemporary Exposure to Mixed Organic Solvents and Occupational Noise on Hearing Thresholds of Workers

Author(s):

Saber Mohammadi¹,

Yaser Labafinejad¹,

Azadeh Amiri Rigi²,

Mirsaeed Attarchi^1,*

1Assistant Prof, Occupational Medicine Research center and Dept of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran.

2Resident of Occupational Medicine, Occupational Medicine Research center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran.

Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences:Vol. 11, issue 4; e94356

Published online:Dec 27, 2009

Article type:Research Article

Received:Sep 21, 2009

Accepted:Dec 12, 2009

How to Cite:Saber MohammadiYaser LabafinejadAzadeh Amiri RigiMirsaeed AttarchiEffect of Contemporary Exposure to Mixed Organic Solvents and Occupational Noise on Hearing Thresholds of Workers.Zahedan J Res Med Sci.11(4):e94356.

Abstract

Background: Mixed organic solvent exposure, as well as noise, has a wide spread in different industries. In recent years it has been propounded that simultaneous exposure to mixed organic solvents and occupational noise can establish a hearing loss that is more severe than hearing loss due to exposure to each of them separately.

Materials & Methods: A descriptive- analytic study was conducted during 2008 in an automobile industry on 441 employees in three different groups. First group were assembly workers that only exposed to noise. The second group included employees in new painting saloon that exposed not only to noise but also to permissible levels of mixed organic solvents and the third group were employees in old painting saloon that exposed to noise and mixed organic solvents in more than threshold limit value (TLV) level. The prevalence of hearing loss was compared between three groups on the basis of model 1 (mean hearing threshold in frequencies 0.5, 1 and 2 KHz more than 25dB) and model 2 (mean hearing threshold in frequencies 3, 4, 6 and 8 KHz more than 25dB).

Results: a ccording to model 2, in workers exposed to noise in addition to mixed organic solvents, the rate of hearing loss, was significantly higher than workers exposed to noise alone (P<0.05), even after adjusting for confounding variables using logistic regression analysis (OR= 4.12 , P<0.001).

Conclusion: In workers with simultaneous exposure to mixed organic solvents and noise, special attention must be paid to accurate accomplishment of hearing conservation programs including doing audiometric exams in shorter periods and take advantage of hearing protection devices with higher noise reduction rate (NRR).

Keywords

Occupational exposure

Organic solvents

Hearing loss

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