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KMID : 0895420070170020153
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Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Enviromental Hygiene
2007 Volume.17 No. 2 p.153 ~ p.159
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Hearing Asymmetry among Occupationally Noise-exposed Workers
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Kim Wook-Tae
Kim Dae-Hwan
Lee Chae-Kwan
Ahn Jin-Hong
Lee Chang-Hee
Kim Hwi-Dong
Kim Jeong-Ho
Son Byung-Chul
Lee Jong-Tae
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Abstract
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Usually equal noise exposure is considered to cause symmetrical hearing loss, but some screening audiometries of employees who were exposed to noise showed asymmetry. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the distribution of asymmetrical hearing loss and the difference of air conduction level between left and right ear at the different frequencies (500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 6,000 Hz). Study subjects were 326 male employees who had participated in the noise-specific health examination from May to October, 2002. They were evaluated by otoscopic examination, pure tone audiometry and tympanometry. In all frequencies, hearing threshold level of left ear was worse than right ear. The mean interaural threshold differences between two ears were 0.83 dB at 500 Hz, 1.18 dB at 2,000 Hz, 2.29 dB at 3,000 Hz, 2.18 dB at 4,000 Hz, and statistically significant (p<0.05). The hearing loss of left ear was greater than right ear in occupationally noise-exposed workers. It is believed that left ear was more susceptible to noise damage than right ear.
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KEYWORD
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Asymmetrical hearing Loss, Air conduction threshold Level, Occupationally noise-exposed workers
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