Solvent-Induced Hearing Loss from Occupational Exposure In Asia – A systematic review

Abstract

Exposure to certain solvents in the workplace can cause hearing loss. This study aims to bring attention to the existing literature on the adverse effects of solvents on workers' auditory function in a diverse Asia occupational setting. The literature search used in this study is PubMed and Web of Science. 87% of the selected studies reported that the highest prevalence of hearing loss was from solvents plus noise-exposed group. Evidence shows that interaction between the solvent and the noise could be both additive and synergistic. More epidemiology studies on solvent-induced hearing loss using diverse approaches are warranted in Asia region. Keywords: hearing loss, organic solvent, pure tone audiometry, chemical-induced hearing loss eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i17.2872