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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Hear 2023; 44(04): 503-520
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1769497
Review Article

Evaluation of Low-Frequency Noise, Infrasound, and Health Symptoms at an Administrative Building and Men's Shelter: A Case Study

Sophia K. Chiu
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Scott E. Brueck
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Douglas M. Wiegand
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Hannah L. Free
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Hannah Echt
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
› Author Affiliations Funding This research received no external funding.
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Abstract

Responses to complaints about low-frequency noise and infrasound at workplaces have not been extensively documented in the literature. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health evaluated low-frequency noise, infrasound, and health symptoms among employees of an organization providing services to homeless persons. The organization's campus was evacuated after two loud noise and vibration incidents related to methane flare on an adjacent landfill. Employees were interviewed about health symptoms, perceptions of noise, and how the incidents were handled. Available medical records were reviewed. Sound level and noise frequency measurements taken in vacated campus buildings not during these incidents revealed overall levels across frequencies up to 100 hertz were 64 to 73 dB, well below those associated with adverse health effects. However, an unbalanced frequency spectrum could have contributed to the unusual sounds or vibrations reported before the first incident. Some symptoms predating the incidents are consistent with low-frequency noise exposure but are also common and nonspecific. Most interviewed employees (57%) reported being uncomfortable returning to work on the campus. Multiple factors such as noise characteristics, health effects, and employee perceptions need to be considered when assessing health concerns related to low-frequency noise and infrasound.

Keywords

noise - octave band analysis - auditory symptoms - vestibular symptoms - psychological contract - risk perception

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

Health Hazard Evaluations are not considered human subjects research by virtue of NIOSH acting as a public health authority performing a public health investigation as directed by statute. Participants were informed of the purpose of the evaluation, their rights regarding confidentiality, and the voluntary nature of participation. Informed consent was provided verbally.


Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.




Publication History

Article published online:
05 June 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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