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Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health pp 1–15Cite as

Occupational Noise: A Determinant of Social Inequalities in Health

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Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

Abstract

Occupational noise exposure is common in many workplaces and a well-known cause of noise-induced hearing loss and related to tinnitus and hyperacusis (hypersensitivity to sound), as well as other health outcomes, such as distress, hypertension, and occupational injuries.

Hearing loss and many health conditions are more frequent in lower socioeconomic groups. Loud occupational noise is generally also more common among blue-collar workers, while white-collar workers are virtually unexposed. Therefore, occupational noise exposure would seem like a plausible cause of socioeconomic inequalities in hearing and other health outcomes; in other words, occupational noise could be a mediator (intermediate variable) between socioeconomic position and health.

However, hardly any studies have investigated the impact of occupational noise exposure on social inequalities in hearing, and none seems to have studied its impact on other health outcomes. One study found that the association between socioeconomic position and hearing loss was reduced after controlling for occupational noise exposure, suggesting that occupational noise to a considerable extent could explain the association between occupation and hearing loss.

There is a lack of studies addressing the impact of occupational noise exposure on social inequalities in health; thus, more studies specifically designed to investigate this topic are needed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway

    Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum & Lisa Aarhus

Authors
  1. Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum
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  2. Lisa Aarhus
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Correspondence to Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Stockholms Län, Sweden

    Töres Theorell

Section Editor information

  1. Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre of Health and Society (CHS), University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Morten Wahrendorf

  2. Fielding School of Public Health, School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA

    Jian Li

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Mehlum, I.S., Aarhus, L. (2020). Occupational Noise: A Determinant of Social Inequalities in Health. In: Theorell, T. (eds) Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05031-3_2-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05031-3_2-1

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