The NIOSH REL for Noise Needs to Be Revised
Downwards-- Dr. Daniel Fink
Dr. Daniel Fink, MD, MBA discusses the NIOSH REL (recommended exposure
limit) for noise and the need to revise it downward. National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set the recommended limit
at 85 dBA. A-weighting adjusts sound level measurements to reflect the
frequencies heard in human speech. However, at this noise exposure
level, for the standard occupational exposure time of 8 hours/day, 5
days/week, 50 weeks/year, for 40 years at work, there is an 8% risk of
developing occupational noise-induced hearing loss. OSHA's permissible
exposure limit (PEL) for noise is 90dBA which creates a 25% excess risk
of developing occupational noise-induced hearing loss. For the general
public and for inherently quiet industries such as healthcare these RELs
are far too high since the excess risk for developing hearing loss in
these settings should be exceedingly low. Acceptable risk as outlined by
the WHO in a book about safe drinking water standards should be between
1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1 million. Thus, we need more stringent guidelines
for the protection of the public and workers in inherently quiet
industries. Health Watch USAsm
meeting Oct. 17, 2024 View YouTube Video at
https://youtu.be/Gg6HTrpAo8s
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