Review of the physiology of hearing, with emphasis on the peripheral processes involved in hearing. Topics include: conduction of sound, perception of sound, conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, central hearing loss, psychogenic hearing loss, audiometry, auditory effects of excessive noise exposure, and extra-auditory effects of excessive noise exposure. Excessive noise exposure can tax the physiological limits of the hearing mechanism and cause irreversible, sensorineural hearing loss. Noise is just one of many causes of hearing loss. A relevant medical and employment history may eliminate false conclusions concerning the cause of a worker's loss of hearing.
The Industrial Environment - Its Evaluation and Control, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, Chapter 24