The Role of Noise Exposure as an Element of Total Exposure Health

Abstract

Noise has been a well-studied risk factor for hearing loss; however, only monitoring for noise during 8-hour periods may underestimate and lead to uncharacterized exposures for personnel working extended duration shifts and for personnel that may have elevated noise exposures outside of the workplace. Characterizing 24-hour noise exposures enables occupational and environmental health practitioners to identify segments of time within a 24-hour period that contribute to a worker’s risk of incurring noise-induced hearing loss and facilitate hearing loss prevention efforts, as well as employee education, resulting in a more effective Hearing Conservation Program (HCP). A Total Exposure Health (TEH) approach may be used to quantify health risk associated with noise exposure both inside and outside the workplace. The challenge associated with controlling noise exposure both on-duty and off-duty is compounded within the military during operational deployments. Longer duration noise exposure via 12-hour on-duty and 12-hour off-duty shifts may result in both high intensity noise exposure over a longer duration and reduced opportunity for auditory recovery in “effective quiet” areas, thus increasing the risk of hearing impairment. This chapter summarizes the methodology used and results from our research on 24-hour noise exposure profiles aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier when at-sea.