[Hearing impairment in the plastics industry workers exposed to styrene and noise]

Styrene exerts ototoxic effect in animals, and the combined exposure to this solvent and noise produces a synergistic effect relative to the isolated exposure to noise. However, there is a lack of reliable evidence that chronic occupational exposure to styrene is ototoxic to humans. Neither has been documented its additive effect with noise. The present study was aimed to assess hearing impairment and the risk of hearing loss in workers exposed to both styrene and noise. The study group included 72 male workers occupationally exposed to styrene in the plastics industry. The results were compared with two control groups, matched by age, gender and personal traits: one group composed of 82 male workers employed in a printing house and exposed only to noise at the levels almost twice as high as those observed in the group exposed to styrene and noise, and the other consisted of 65 male workers exposed neither to solvents nor to noise at workplace. In the group exposed to styrene and noise, significantly increased average hearing loss, as compared to both control groups, was found at all frequencies (1-8 kHz). The risk of hearing loss in the group exposed to styrene and noise was seven times higher (RR: 6.6; 3.0-15.9) than in the non-exposed group, and four times higher (RR: 4.0; 1.8-9.1) than in when workers exposed only to noise. However, no relationship could be observed between the amount of styrene exposure and hearing impairment, taking account of the confounding effect of noise and age. The results of the study suggest that the exposure to solvent mixtures with styrene as a basic component may exert additional, to noise, adverse effect on the auditory organ.