[Non-auditory effects of environmental noise: a study of metallurgical and mechanical workers]

The present work was performed to check the non-auditory effects of environmental noise on a homogeneous worker population. The study was performed on 200 workers (factory and office workers) in a metallurgical and mechanical company: each individual underwent thorough clinical-audiometric study and filled out a multiple-choice psycho-social-attitude questionnaire. Statistical analysis of the results obtained showed a significantly higher number of non-auditory effects in subjects exposed to noise vs. those not exposed. For all workers studied, this incidence increased proportionally with age and job seniority. Moreover, it was demonstrated that there is no direct correlation between non-auditory effects and chronic traumatic hearing loss. The limited number of cases examined, however, suggests a multi-center study in order to provide better clinical-scientific and statistical-epidemiological study of this complex question involving on-the-job noise.