CDC: Noisy workplaces linked to blood pressure, increased cholesterol

Hypertension, elevated cholesterol and hearing difficulty are more prevalent among noise‐exposed workers, according to new research led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

The research, published March 14 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, showed that one in four—or an estimated 41 million—American adult workers are exposed to loud noise in the workplace. Of those workers, 22 million were affected by workplace noise.

The purpose of the CDC-led study was to estimate the occurrence of occupational noise exposure and examine the associations between noise in the workplace and cardiovascular conditions and hearing difficulty.

“A significant percentage of the workers we studied have hearing difficulty, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol that could be attributed to noise at work,” said lead author Elizabeth A. Masterson, PhD, of the NIOSH and colleagues in a statement. “If noise could be reduced to safer levels in the workplace, more than five million cases of hearing difficulty among noise-exposed workers could potentially be prevented.”

The researchers used self-reported data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey and determined prevalence ratios of hearing difficulty, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, coronary artery disease and stroke by level of occupational noise exposure, industry and occupation.

Twenty-five percent of workers had a history of occupational noise exposure, with 14 percent being exposed within the last year. Twenty-four percent of the workers exhibited hypertension and 28 percent had elevated cholesterol. Workplace noise exposure caused 14 percent of hypertension incidences and nine percent of elevated cholesterol.

Industries with the highest prevalence of occupational noise exposure were mining, construction and manufacturing.

“This study provides further evidence of an association of occupational noise exposure with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and the potential to prevent these conditions if noise is reduced,” Masterson et al. concluded. “It is important that workers be screened regularly for these conditions in the workplace or through a healthcare provider, so interventions can occur. As these conditions are more common among noise-exposed workers, they could especially benefit from these screenings.”