A New Individual Noise Dosimeter

Abstract

Noise induced perceptive hearing loss is due to noise frequency, noise intensity, time of exposure and also to individual noise sensitivity. Hitherto it has only been possible to analyse the frequency and intensity during different moments of work with the aid of conventional noise meters.

The individual time of exposure has therefore, as a rule, only been estimated approximately. As a worker very often is moving around in a factory the noise may be altered from time to time. Thus the need of an individual, continual registering of noise for each individual worker during several weeks or months is obvious.

This aim is now possible to reach with the aid of a new pocket-sized registering-apparatus, designed at the ENT Dept. General Hospital, Malmö and which is meant to be worn by especially noise-exposed workers. Its prophylactic importance is analogous to the film dosimeters used by persons exposed to ionizing radiation and it has therefore been called noise dosimeter.

An extensive use of the apparatus is thought to be of prophylactic and medical importance and may lead to: 1) a greater individual interest for noise prophylaxis, 2) an effective industrial noise supervision, and 3) a more adequate medical control of noise sensitive - or already noise-damaged patients.