Human health effects associated with occupational and environmental acoustic trauma

Abstract

Noise is ubiquitous in daily life and can cause both auditory and non-auditory health problems. Noise effects involve both direct and indirect pathways through which noise affects human health. A direct pathway encompasses the interactions between the central auditory system and other regions of the brain. The indirect pathway involves the cognitive and emotional response to a noise-exposure.This review begins by summarizing both auditory and non-auditory health effects of occupational and environmental noise exposures. It then guides the reader to adequate mitigation strategies and preventive measures to reduce the consequences of noise nuisance.

Keywords

• Noise
• Hearing loss
• Health effects
• Prevention
• Therapeutic strategies