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Associations of Occupational Noise Exposure with Hearing-Related Functional Difficulty and Menstrual Abnormalities
Peng Zhou1, Wei Li2, Changyan Yu3
1Occupational Disease Monitoring and Evaluation Institute, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Preventive Medicine), Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China.
What Is Already Known About This Topic?:
Occupational noise exposure is a well-established risk factor for adverse auditory outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests it may also affect women's reproductive health.
What Is Added By This Report?:
Among 1,538 female workers, high occupational noise exposure was associated with hearing-related functional difficulty [adjusted odds ratio aOR=1.79, 95% confiden ceinterval (CI): 1.30-2.46] and menstrual abnormalities (aOR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.96-3.73). These findings remained consistent in sensitivity analyses for menstrual abnormalities, and mean noise annoyance was higher in the high-noise group (2.61 vs. 2.22). Indirect effects through noise annoyance were modest for hearing-related outcomes and not statistically significant for menstrual abnormalities.
What Are The Implications For Public Health Practice?:
Occupational noise management for female workers should consider hearing and menstrual health effects, with greater attention to female reproductive health in risk assessments and surveillance.
