Hearing status among commercial pilots

This study evaluates the hearing status of commercial pilots. Studies show that noise-induced hearing loss initially appears as a threshold shift in a specific frequency region. Deterioration in pure-tone average of the frequencies 3, 4 and 6 kHz is used as an indicator for noise-induced hearing loss and to evaluate hearing loss due to occupational noise exposure. The present study provides a comparison of the hearing status of commercial pilots and a reference group. The study looks at the high frequency pure-tone average for 3, 4 and 6 kHz of 658 commercial pilots. The pure-tone average was calculated from the regular health examinations of the pilots. The reference group was from a general adult population, aged 20 to 79 years, not exposed to hazardous occupational noise. The results indicate no influence from occupational noise exposure on the hearing status of commercial pilots.