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The Influence of Combined Exposure to Noise and Whole-Body Vibration on Hearing Loss Under Simulated Heavy Equipment Driving Conditions Publisher



Mohammad Javad Golhosseini S1 ; Aliabadi M1 ; Golmohammadi R2 ; Farhadian M3 ; Akbari M4 ; Hamidi Nahrani M5 ; Samavati M6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Occupational Health & Safety Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
  2. 2. Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
  6. 6. Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Applied Acoustics Published:2021


Abstract

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious problem in occupational environments; however, there is little information about hearing loss due to combined exposure to noise and vibration. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of exposure to noise and whole-body vibration (WBV) on hearing responses under simulated heavy equipment driving conditions. A repeated measures study was designed to evaluate the changes in distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) amplitudes as hearing responses to 40 min of noise and/or WBV exposure. Thirty healthy males with an average age of 30.17 (±3.94) years, exposed to noise level of 85 dB(A) and two WBV levels (0.87 and 1.3 m/s2) in six experimental scenarios. The findings revealed that there was a significant change in DPOAE amplitudes after single noise exposure and combined noise and WBV exposure (p < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in WBV exposure alone (p > 0.05). The changes in DPOAE amplitudes were greater in combined exposure to noise and WBV (1.3 m/s2) in all sessions. The statistical analysis showed the effect sizes of the combined exposure to noise and WBV were more than the sum of the exposure to each one alone. It can be concluded that some synergic effects can occur in DPOAE amplitudes in the combined noise and WBV exposure under heavy equipment driving conditions. These findings can help the occupational health experts adapt the existing physical agents' exposure limits to the realistic conditions of the occupational settings. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
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