Application of temporal kurtosis index in assessing hearing loss caused by complex noise / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

Complex noise with impulse or impact property is common in workplace, and its damage on the auditory system is greater than that of steady-state noise. At present, the noise exposure measurement and evaluation indicators widely used in the world mainly include the equivalent continuous sound level and the cumulative noise exposure, both are based on the equal energy hypothesis(EEH). EEH only considered the damage of noise energy on the auditory system, but ignored the effect of temporal characteristics of noise, and underestimated the degree of hearing loss associated with complex noise. This paper first introduced the limitations of current noise exposure assessment standards at home and abroad, then introduced the definition of temporal kurtosis and the calculation method of its related energy indexes(such as cumulative noise exposure and equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level), and further summarized the effectiveness of temporal kurtosis as an auxiliary parameter of noise energy in assessing the risk of hearing loss caused by complex noise, providing a rationale to supplement the existing noise assessment standards.