July 1, 2005 — Researchers at the University of Montreal have gathered evidence showing that combined chronic exposure to noise and carbon monoxide in the workplace induces hearing loss. The findings are the result of a study conducted with over 8,600 workers exposed to both noise and carbon monoxide in the workplace. Among the riskier professions are welders, firefighters, garage mechanics, truckers, forklift operators and miners. The results revealed that the workers who were exposed to carbon monoxide and to noise levels above 90 decibels displayed significantly poorer hearing thresholds at high frequencies (from 3 to 6 kiloHertz). A larger shift was observed among workers with 25 to 29 years of noise exposure in the workplace.
For more information, visit the University of Montreal Web site.
