Non-auditory effects of noise in industry. IV. A field study on industrial noise and blood pressure.

Audiometry and casual blood pressure measurements were carried out among industrial workers exposed to noise levels exceeding 80 dB(A). Workers with long-term noise exposure had increased blood pressure, after correction for age. Only a weak correlation was observed between noise-induced hearing loss and the corrected blood pressure. The influence of other working conditions and of the relative body weight could not be evaluated.