Relationship between Noise Annoyance and High Blood Pressure in Workers Exposed to Chronic Noise Among the Workers of an Automotive Industry

Iraj Alimohammadi; Fakhradin Ahmadi Kanrash; Shahram Vosoughi; Soqrat Omari Shekaftik; Kazem Rahmani; Mohammad Hossein Chalak; Mohammad Anbari

doi:10.4103/ijoem.IJOEM_259_19

Relationship between Noise Annoyance and High Blood Pressure in Workers Exposed to Chronic Noise Among the Workers of an Automotive Industry

Indian J Occup Environ Med. 2020 Sep-Dec;24(3):153-156. doi: 10.4103/ijoem.IJOEM_259_19. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

Authors

Iraj Alimohammadi¹, Fakhradin Ahmadi Kanrash², Shahram Vosoughi¹, Soqrat Omari Shekaftik², Kazem Rahmani³, Mohammad Hossein Chalak⁴, Mohammad Anbari⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Chronic exposure to noise in workplaces is one of the most important physical agents that affects workers' health and causes social and individual problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between noise annoyance and blood pressure (BP) of workers of an automotive industry.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 workers were randomly selected. The subjects were classified in two groups based on the exposure to sound pressure levels lower and higher than 85 dB (106 and 144 workers, respectively). In this study, BP was measured using an ALPK2 mercury pressure gauge. To measure annoyance levels, an annoyance questionnaire containing a numerical question numbered 0-11 was used.

Results: The mean age of the subjects was 36.19 (±3.75) years. The results showed that the systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the subjects exposed to the sound pressure levels higher than 85 dB were significantly higher than those exposed to a sound pressure level lower than 85 dB (P < 0.01). Also, the results of the multivariate regression showed a significant relationship between the annoyance and DBP and SBP caused by chronic exposure to noise and sound pressure levels (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the annoyance caused by exposure to chronic noise in the workplace causes stress in the workers and, in the long term, could increase the risk of high SBP and DBP.

Keywords: Anxiety; blood pressure; cardiovascular; noise; occupational; physiology.