[Progression of noise-induced hearing loss in exposed agricultural workers--ADP projects "LADA" and "LEQ"].

For years now, the survey of noise deafness as an officially recognized occupational disease has shown agriculture, forestry and the foodstuff industry to be a problem field. This is particularly true of operators of self-propelled machines and tractors. As far as the causes are concerned, it is more or less only presumptions that have been voiced hitherto, since the real noise-exposure data (particularly long-term recordings) has been lacking. For the long-term storage of exposure and audiometry data two reusable computerized projects have been worked out. Employing them, researchers can obtain noise-deafness progression data on an individual basis, based on the individual's noise-exposure data. The preliminary assessment of the data of nearly 1000 workers shows that both the noise exposure and the extent of the hearing loss vary greatly between individuals. This adds the necessity of an individual-based recording of the noise-exposure data.