High-Frequency Loss of Hearing in Secondary School Students

Abstract

Data were collected on sound levels in public school shops, the policies regarding hearing protection and sound level monitoring in shops in a four-state area, and hearing levels of students with varying histories of noise exposure. Results of this study warrant three conclusions: (a) Sound levels in most school shops are sufficient to constitute a hazard to hearing. (b) A very small percentage of the shop programs surveyed furnish hearing protection or monitor sound levels. (c) Students involved in shop activities and/or use firearms are more apt to have high-frequency loss of hearing than those not participating in these activities. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for the involved students and the role of audiology as a profession in the public schools.