Epidemiology of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) in Poland.

Noise-induced hearing loss is a major health risk worldwide. In Europe about 35 million people are exposed to detrimental noise levels (> 85 dB-A) in industrial plants, and occupational deafness is a leading occupational compensible disease in the all countries; it is an insidious slow process that develops over a period of approximately 10 to 20 years. Accordingly to the latest estimations, more than 650,000 workers (of a total 5 million employed in industry) are put at risk in Poland.

[Occupational hearing loss: new diagnostic opportunities].

Noise-induced hearing loss together with presbyacusis are the most frequent causes of the disorders of the inner ear among adults. The authors present briefly epidemiological, diagnostic and certification aspects of this issue. Their attention was mainly focused on the role of objective methods of hearing examinations (impedance audiometry, brainstem electric response audiometry, recording of otoacoustic emissions) in diagnostic procedures.