Noisy shift work increases the risk of hearing loss
A Chinese study has found that shift work in combination with occupational noise exposure increases the risk of hearing loss. In the study, the prevalence of hearing loss was highest among individuals with the longest shift work and longest noise exposure.
The study also found that hearing loss was significantly higher for shift work of a duration of fewer than 10 years in women, but not in men.
About the study
A total of 11,196 participants in the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study were included. Shift work was self-reported. Hearing loss was defined as a pure tone mean of 25 dB or higher at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in any ear.
The study, “Association between shift work and hearing loss: The Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study”, was published in the Journal Hearing Research.
Sources: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and Hearing Research