Author Archives: exposurelab

The University of Michigan School of Public Health has been ranked #5 in a national list of the best public health schools. U.S. News and World Report also issued new rankings of five specialty fields within public health: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences.

PhD candidate Xin Zhang was selected to participate in the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center Hearing and Aging Mentoring Program. The program brings together students early in their doctoral training from audiologic, medicine, and public health programs for an intensive, multidisciplinary program each summer.

Workers are often exposed to hearing hazards, including loud noise and chemicals that can damage hearing. These exposures can lead to hearing problems including hearing loss and ringing in the ears, or tinnitus. In two new videos, workers describe the impact of hearing loss on their quality of life.

In observance of World Hearing Day, held this year on March 3, U-M Professor Rick Neitzel talks about ways noise pollution can affect your physical health, and how we can keep our ears and hearing safe.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced recently that it has renewed a regional emphasis program to focus inspections in three mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia on industries with high levels of workplace noise, which can contribute to worker hearing loss.

The Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering (COHSE), housed within the U-M School of Public Health, has received a five-year, $9 million grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to continue its pivotal role in training the future generation of occupational health professionals.

A new study has found that chronic exposure to moderate levels of noise can cause anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. Researchers studied the behaviors through changes to the amygdala, part of the brain’s emotion-processing system.

Worldwide, 2.3 million lives are lost annually to work-related incidents. The International Occupational Hygiene Association reports a global need for 44,000 qualified hygienists, particularly in emerging economies.

Noise detecters, or sound cameras, have recently been installed on certain streets in Manhattan’s wealthy Upper West Side. The cameras can detect noise of at least 85 decibels from a source 50 feet or more away. It’s part of a program to reduce noise pollution and protect people’s health.

A new episode of Healthier Workplaces just launched on Vimeo about the updated noise manual for occupational health and safety professionals. Dr. Neitzel provides details from a professional perspective.