A Study of Mental and Physiological Effects of Chronic Exposure to Noise in an Automotive Industry

Background and Objectives: Noise pollution is one of the most harmful physical factors in working environments in developed and developing countries, which has significant impacts on the workers’ quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate mental and physiological effects of chronic exposure to noise. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out randomly in 2018 on 250 workers in the automotive Industry. To measure the subjects’ aggression and annoyance levels, the Buss and Perry’s Aggression Questionnaire was used as well as an annoyance questionnaire. In this study, blood pressure measurement was also done using ALPK2 mercuric pressure gauge. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and noise annoyance in the groups with a lower-than-85 and higher-than-85 dB sound pressure levels (P<0.001). Besides, the results of multivariate regression showed that the annoyance level and sound pressure level had a significant relationship with the workers’ blood pressure (P<0.01). Also, there was a significant correlation between aggression components and sound pressure level (P<0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study clearly showed that chronic exposure to noise in work environments was associated with psychological and physiological changes, such as increased blood pressure and aggression levels. Hence, implementation of preventive programs can help reduce the incidence of the psychological and physiological disorders.