Potential Risks to Hearing Functions of Service Members from Exposure to Jet Fuels

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hungerford M ; Konrad-Martin D ; Morata, Thais C.
• Description:
  Purpose: Several military occupations, particularly those within the U.S. Air Force, require working with or around jet fuels. Jet fuels contain components that are known to affect central nervous function, yet effects of these fuels on auditory function, specifically auditory processing of sound, are not well understood at this time. Animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to jet fuels prior to noise exposure can exacerbate the noise exposure's effects, and service members exposed to jet fuels are at risk of noise exposure within their work environments. The purpose of this article was to give a brief synopsis of the evidence on the ototoxic effects due to jet fuel exposure to aid audiologists in their decision making when providing care for populations who are occupationally exposed to fuels or while during military service. Conclusions: Exposure to jet fuels impacts central nervous function and, in combination with noise exposure, may have detrimental auditory effects that research has yet to fully explain. Additional longitudinal research is needed to explain the relationships, which have clinical implications for service members and others exposed to jet fuels. In the meantime, audiologists can gain useful information by screening for chemical exposures when obtaining patient case histories. If jet fuel exposure is suspected, the Lifetime Exposure to Noise and Solvents Questionnaire can be used to estimate a noise exposure ranking and identify other potentiating agents such as jet fuel and industrial chemicals. A history of jet fuel exposure should inform the selection of hearing tests in the audiometric evaluation and when devising the treatment plan. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Hearing Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Auditory System Central Nervous System Disorders Chemical Properties Chemicals Hazards Jet Engine Fuels Military Personnel Noise Exposure Ototoxicity Ototoxins Questionnaires

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• ISSN:
  1059-0889
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  30
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063426
• Citation:
  Am J Audiol 2021 Oct; 30(3S):922-927
• Contact Point Address:
  Dawn Konrad-Martin, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, OR
• Email:
  dawn.martin@va.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Audiology: a Journal of Clinical Practice
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:97b1c2926389f0d6b06fb30da7c855f6cbc0187a826bc3a9507ef95466513b72785673b42d61435f90a669f30cee4231216b3b93a9cafb0c86e501d8713ca4e6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226492/cdc_226492_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 109.60 KB ]