Noise-induced hearing loss in firefighters: an audiological evaluation

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing thresholds, speech understanding abilities, and otoa coustic emissions tests of firefighters to determine the effects of occupational noise exposure on auditory health. This descriptive study consisted of 25 firefighters and 25 healthy individuals with normal hearing as the control group. Fire f ighters exposed to noise outside of working hours, those using ototoxic medications, or those with other health risk factors were excluded from the study. Hearing functions of all participants were assessed using pure-tone and high frequency audiometry, speech tests, and otoacoustic emissions measurements. Results Firefighters’ pure-tone hearing thresholds were significantly higher compared to the control group, and hearing loss was observed, particularly at high frequencies (4000 Hz and above). In the speech test results, SRT thresholds were also found to be statistically significantly higher in the study group (p<0.05). Dynamic range was found to be narrower in the study group. DPOAE and TEOAE results showed that firefighters exposed to noise at certain frequencies had significantly lower SNRs. Conclusions These findings support similar studies in the literature, demonstrating that long-term noise exposure has potential negative effects on hearing health in firefighters, particularly high frequencies indicate that hearing thresholds can be affected. Keywords Occupational noise, Noise pollution, Vulnerable occupations, Workplace exposures