Hearing health risk in a population of aircraft carrier flight deck personnel.
This study evaluated the risk to hearing health associated with duty on the flight deck of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Descriptive data includes time-weighted average noise exposure and an evaluation of temporary threshold shift for a group of nonaviator flight deck personnel (FD), and a comparison of accrued permanent threshold shift among three shipboard occupational groups that had been matched for years of military service. The study participants included 76 FD personnel in a high-exposure group, 77 engineers in a moderate-exposure group, and 52 administrative personnel who were considered to have low occupational noise exposure. The study found a mean FD time weighted average of 109 dBA over workdays averaging 11.5 hours. Only 2 (4%) of 52 administrative personnel had any appreciable hearing loss (defined as worse than 20 dB at any frequency 1,000 through 4,000 Hz), whereas FD and engineers demonstrated 17% and 27% hearing impairment, respectively.
Rovig
Glen W
GW
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Directorate, Navy Environmental Health Center, 620 John Paul Jones Circle, Portsmouth, VA 23708, USA.
Bohnker
Bruce K
BK
Page
John C
JC
D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D004430:Ear Protective Devices; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009326:Naval Medicine; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires