Association between Occupational Exposure to Noise and Heart Function in the Ceramic Industry Workers

Abstract

Background: Noise is the most common occupational exposure. Over an extended period, especially in occupational settings, it causes an increased risk of coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between exposure to noise and cardiovascular function based on the results of electrocardiography in the ceramic tile industry. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 94 healthy workers with at least one year of work experience in Yazd's ceramic tile industry were selected by simple sampling method. After completing the demographic and occupational questionnaire, electrocardiography and sounding were performed. Then, the data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and correlation test using SPSS 21 software. Results: In this study, all participants were male. The mean and standard deviation of age and work experience of the population under study were 35.10 (6.03) and 9.95 (4.62) years, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between age and work experience with electrocardiographic parameters. Although there was a significant relationship between noises and the PR interval, there was no significant relationship with other parameters. Conclusion: In this study, the only significant correlation was found between the noise and the PR interval. Also, although the relationship between exposure to noise and heart rate was not statistically significant, it was reversible.

Keywords

• Exposure to noise
• Heart function
• Electrocardiography
• Tile industry