Introduction :

Long term exposure to noise at work causes hearing loss. Counter measures have  reduced noise levels in many industries, but noise still remains a common occupational hazard, and noise induced hearing loss is one of the major occupational diseases worldwide. The interaction between noise and age might be additive or they may not interact at all while according to some researchers it is difficult to distinguish the effect of noise and ageing. With this background the present study was undertaken to find out association between noise induced hearing loss and age in industry workers .Methodologys: The sound level meter was calibrated before each use. The measurements, in dBA units, on the LCD display were noted.Air conduction and bone conduction for each ear were. The diagnosis of noise induced hearing loss was based on full evaluation of history, physical examination and audiometry. An employee was considered as having hearing impairment if his average of the hearing thresholds for frequencies 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz, exceeded 25 dB. Analysis was done using Chi square test and T test. Results :The difference in the mean values of age between exposed group and unexposed group was statistically insignificant Most of the workers in the present study were observed to be more than 40 years of age. Maximum number of workers with noise induced hearing loss was above 50 years of age. The association between noise induced hearing loss and age was statistically significant in exposed group The association between noise induced hearing loss and age in unexposed group was statistically insignificant [P>0.05]. Conclusion : The age effect did not substantially alter the results and we conclude that the occurrence of auditory damage was considered to be mainly due to the occupational noise rather than ageing.