A Follow-up Study on the Personal Noise Exposed Dose and Hearing Loss

For the purpose of presenting the basic data for the establishment of control measures on the long-term noise exposed workers, this study was carried out on the relationship between personal noise exposed dose and hearing loss on the 67 male workers whose hearing threshold had exceeded 40 dB in 4,000 Hz, from 1990 to 1992. Conclusively, the level of hearing loss was significantly related to personal noise exposed dose in follow-up period. We considered that personal noise exposed dose which was measured by the personal noise dosemeter was more efficient rather than the noise level of workplace for the evaluating the long-term change of hearing acuity. And although in the case of not-diagnosed as noise induced hearing loss. it was suspected that the active control programs such as improvement of noisy environment or early transfer to proper workplace were needed on the workers who exposed with over 90 dB in personal noise exposed dose.