(picture from www.compliancesigns.com)
A Nordic expert collaboration, coordinated by the Karolinska Institute, suggests that specific labeling is necessary for chemicals that combined with noise exposure increase the risk of hearing damage. Substances that the experts denote as hearing damaging are the solvents styrene, toluene and carbon disulfide, the metals lead and mercury, and carbon monoxide gas.
– Most people are not aware that chemicals can cause hearing loss. The noise labeling that we now propose, would make employers and employees more aware of chemicals that can cause hearing damage, says Associate Professor Ann-Christin Johnson, of the Research Center for Hearing and Communication at Karolinska Institutet.
The recently published report titled “Occupational Exposure to Chemicals and hearing impairment” has been handed over to the Swedish Work Environment Authority , which will decide if any action is to be taken in Sweden. Simultaneous exposure to noise and chemicals is common in many workplaces, but the current regulations do not take the combined effect into account.
For more info see the news article at ki.se (in swedish)
