RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Noise-induced hearing loss is a centuries-old problem that is still prevalent in the United States and worldwide. AIM: To describe highlights in the development of hearing loss prevention in the U.S. from World War II to the present. METHODS: Literature review. RESULTS: Approaches to occupational noise-induced hearing loss prevention in the United States over the past seven decades are described using a hierarchy of controls framework and an interdisciplinary perspective. Historical timelines and developmental milestones related to occupational noise-induced hearing loss prevention are summarized as a life course. DISCUSSION: Lessons are drawn for other countries in their hearing conservation efforts. CONCLUSION: Future developments building on the hearing loss prevention work of the past 70 years can prevent the problem of occupational NIHL in the 21st century. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:569-577, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assuntos
Perda Auditiva Provocada por Ruído/história , Ruído Ocupacional/prevenção & controle , Doenças Profissionais/história , Exposição Ocupacional/história , Dispositivos de Proteção das Orelhas/história , Perda Auditiva Provocada por Ruído/etiologia , Perda Auditiva Provocada por Ruído/prevenção & controle , História do Século XX , História do Século XXI , Humanos , Ruído Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Doenças Profissionais/etiologia , Doenças Profissionais/prevenção & controle , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Exposição Ocupacional/prevenção & controle , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Noise-induced hearing loss has been documented as early as the 16th century, when a French surgeon, Ambroise Paré, wrote of the treatment of injuries sustained by firearms and described acoustic trauma in great detail. Even so, the protection of hearing would not be addressed for three more centuries, when the jet engine was invented and resulted in a long overdue whirlwind of policy development addressing the prevention of hearing loss. We present a synopsis of hearing loss prevention in the US Army and describe the current Army Hearing Program, which aims to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in soldiers and to ensure their maximum combat effectiveness.
