Audition and exhibition to toluene - a contribution for the theme

• Main Authors: Kulay, Luiz Alexandre, Franco, Eloisa Sartori, Augusto, Lívia Sanches Calvi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. 2012-01-01
• Series: International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology
• Subjects: noise; occupational; toluene; hearing loss; noise-induced; workers
• Online Access: http://www.internationalarchivesent.org/additional/acervo_eng.asp?id=859

Introduction: With the technological advances and the changes in the productive processes, the workers are displayed the different physical and chemical agents in its labor environment. The toluene is solvent an organic gift in glues, inks, oils, amongst others. Objective: To compare solvent the literary findings that evidence that diligent displayed simultaneously the noise and they have greater probability to develop an auditory loss of peripheral origin. Method: Revision of literature regarding the occupational auditory loss in displayed workers the noise and toluene. Results: The isolated exposition to the toluene also can unchain an alteration of the auditory thresholds. These audiometric findings, for ototoxicity the exposition to the toluene, present similar audiograms to the one for exposition to the noise, what it becomes difficult to differentiate a audiometric result of agreed exposition - noise and toluene - and exposition only to the noise. Conclusion: The majority of the studies was projected to generate hypotheses and would have to be considered as preliminary steps of an additional research. Until today the agents in the environment of work and its effect they have been studied in isolated way and the limits of tolerance of these, do not consider the agreed expositions. Considering that the workers are displayed the multiples agent and that the auditory loss is irreversible, the implemented tests must be more complete and all the workers must be part of the program of auditory prevention exactly displayed the low doses of the recommended limit of exposition.