Applying Kurtosis as an Indirect Metric of Noise Temporal Structure in the Assessment of Hearing Loss Associated With Occupational Complex Noise Exposure.
Meibian Zhang, Wei Qiu, Hongwei Xie and 7 others
PMID 34369415WHAT IT FOUND
Workers exposed to impulsive 'complex' noise suffered more hearing loss than those exposed to steady noise, even when total energy was similar.
Standard noise dosimeters miss this risk. Assess the temporal structure of workplace noise, not just its loudness, to identify vulnerable workers.
Key findings
01High-frequency hearing loss was significantly more prevalent in workers exposed to complex noise (20.38%) compared to those exposed to steady Gaussian noise (13.52%).
02Noise kurtosis, a measure of temporal structure or impulsiveness, was an independent risk factor for hearing loss, with odds ratios comparable to noise intensity and exposure duration.
03Workers exposed to noise levels between 80 and 85 dB(A) had a high prevalence of hearing loss (24.80%), particularly if the noise had a high kurtosis value, suggesting the 85 dB(A) limit may be unsafe for complex noise.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove causation, only association. Sample sizes for some specific work types were insufficient, potentially making those subgroups unrepresentative. Kurtosis is a proxy measure for noise complexity and may not capture every aspect of a complex acoustic signal. Although efforts were made to exclude other hazards, there may have been minor co-exposure to ototoxic solvents or heavy metals in some jobs, which could influence hearing outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that workplace noise measurements below 85 dB(A) are safe. This study found a 24.80% prevalence of hearing loss in workers exposed to noise between 80 and 85 dB(A), particularly when that noise was impulsive or complex.