To the revision of the ISO 1999:2013 standard "Acoustics. Assessment of hearing loss due to noise exposure": an excessive correction for the "impulsiveness" of noise

Abstract

Introduction. In connection with the development of measuring and computer technology, new opportunities and approaches are opening up to solve the problem of measurement, hygienic assessment, normalization and prediction of hearing impairment from exposure to unstable, in particular, pulse noise. The study aims to analyze the applicability of a model for assessing hearing loss based on the use of an excessive correction to the exposure of impacting noise, according to the draft ISO 1999:2023 standard. Materials and methods. The scientists have conducted an expert and analytical comparative analysis of ISO 1999 standards, which define the basis for assessing hearing loss due to noise exposure. The experts have carried out a literary review of domestic and foreign sources on the problem of using the index of the distribution of instantaneous values of sound pressure — excess to assess constant and non-constant noise, as well as its role in the formation of hearing loss under the action of non-Gaussian pulse noise, the applicability of the prediction model of the ISO 1999 standard to various types of noise exposure. Results. The scientists presented the results of the analysis of: indicators for assessing the adverse effects of non-constant, including pulse noise; the relationship between the effects of non-Gaussian noise and the constant shift in the hearing thresholds of workers; statistical indicator of excess — an indirect indicator of the temporal structure of noise, a significant risk factor in combination with noise exposure in the assessment of hearing loss. Conclusion. Revision of the ISO 1999:2013 standard with the introduction of a new indicator of the temporal structure of noise — kurtosis, will improve the accuracy of the method of predicting hearing loss when exposed to constant, non-constant noise, including impulsive. Ethics. In preparing the article, the authors were guided by the ethical principles of medical research set out in the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association of the last revision. Limitation. Features of ISO 1999 standards dedicated to the assessment of the impact of industrial noise and the assessment of noise-induced hearing impairment.