Photo: Visoot Uthairam/gettyimages
Silver Spring, MD — “What if we actually had a ‘magic pill’ that could prevent dementia? We do,” a University of Maryland researcher claimed during a Nov. 13 webinar hosted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.
“We can prevent some dementia through proper hearing conservation programs,” said Marianne Cloeren, associate professor of medicine at UMD and medical director for the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program.
Cloeren discussed a recent study she led that found that the risk of dementia increased with the severity of work-related hearing loss.
She also cited previous research showing that an estimated 24% of hearing loss cases can be attributed to occupational noise. She explained that brain activity is sparked by external stimuli, including sound. Hearing loss lowers activity level, which negatively impacts the brain.
Cloeren suggested that, as part of an effective hearing conservation program, employers take preventive action during work, as well as analyze possible hearing loss development before symptoms present. Measures include:
- Reduce noise
- Use effective hearing protection
- Check noise-exposed workers’ hearing tests to find temporary threshold shifts and correct conditions causing noise-induced hearing loss
- Test to diagnose hearing loss
- Provide access to effective, affordable hearing aids (which studies suggest may lower the risk of developing dementia among people with hearing loss)
Cloeren also is a co-author of a study, led by John Dement, professor emeritus in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Duke University Medical Center, that found an association between occupational hearing loss and higher risk of death.
“It’s one thing to lose your hearing,” Cloeren said, “but it has other implications if it means you may die earlier or develop dementia.”
CPWR Deputy Director and BTMed Principal Investigator Rick Rinehart said he supports the NIOSH “Buy Quiet” initiative as part of efforts to lower the risk of work-related noise-induced hearing loss.
Under the program, NIOSH encourages employers to purchase or rent quieter machinery or tools. Rinehart called the initiative a more effective approach than relying solely on personal protective equipment, which “puts the burden totally on the worker, and none of us want to wear earplugs or earmuffs all day long.”
Rinehart added, “It’s definitely important when there’s a noisy task, but if it’s the only line of defense, it generally isn’t effective.”
Responding to attendee feedback near the end of the webinar, CPWR Executive Director Chris Cain appealed to researchers to initiate a study that explores a potential link between noise-induced hearing loss and elevated suicide rates in construction.
“That’s a question I don’t know if science has answered yet,” Cain said. “And I would just beg any researchers who might be listening to propose a study that looks at that, and CPWR will try to find ways to fund that study.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication