POLICY STATEMENT
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;100/4/7
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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS Committee on Environmental Health:

Noise: A Hazard for the Fetus and Newborn.


"Results of these studies suggest that: (1) exposure to excessive noise
during pregnancy may result in high-frequency hearing loss in newborns,
and may be associated with prematurity and intrauterine growth
retardation, (2) exposure to noise in the NICU may result in cochlear
damage, and (3) exposure to noise and other environmental factors in the
NICU may disrupt the normal growth and development of premature infants.
On the basis of these study results, noise-induced health effects on
fetuses and newborns merit further study as clinical and public health
concerns."

"Pediatricians should encourage research to determine health effects of
noise exposure on pregnant women and their fetuses and infants...
Environmental sources of such noise include rock concerts, boom boxes in
cars, and airport jet traffic."

"Pediatricians are encouraged to consider screening for noise-induced
hearing loss those infants who were exposed to excessive noise in the
uterus or as a newborn."

....

Occupational sources of such noise include jobs in which women are
required to wear protective hearing devices.

Environmental sources of such noise include rock concerts, boom boxes
in cars, and airport jet traffic.

Pediatricians are encouraged to monitor sound in the NICU, and within
incubators. A noise level >45 dB is of concern. Ideally, as proposed by
the US Environmental Protection Agency, a noise level exceeding 45 dB is
best avoided. NICU personnel should devise simple strategies to reduce
noise in the nursery (no tapping or writing on the tops of incubators
and hoods, careful closing of incubator doors, soft shoes). If such
simple, inexpensive strategies fail to reduce monitored noise levels,
more technical strategies need to be considered (incubator covers, use
of less noisy equipment). When purchasing new equipment or renovating
facilities, sound control should be considered.
Pediatricians should encourage manufacturers to reduce noise from
medical equipment.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health should consider
further research on noise exposure during pregnancy.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration should consider
pregnancy in setting their occupational noise standards.

COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, 1996 TO 1997
Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD, Chairperson