The Effects of Occupational Noise Exposure on Serum Cortisol Level and Some Blood Parameters in Steel Industry Workers

Background: Noise is one of the most important hazardous physical factors in industrial environments. This study aimed to determine the effects of noise exposure on serum cortisol level and some blood parameters among male workers of a steel production company. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 male workers in a steel production company. In order to assess the changes in blood parameters, such as serum cortisol level, lipid profile, and blood sugar, blood samples were taken from the participants before and after the work shift. Besides, CEL 440 sound level meter was used to measure the equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq) and analyze the noise in octave band frequencies. Analyses of data were performed by SPSS software (version 16) using the Paired sample t-test. Results: The laboratory findings indicated an increase in serum cortisol at all exposure levels. However, the changes were not statistically significant. An increase was observed in blood sugar levels at all the three noise levels and the increment was statistically significant at 95 dB noise level. Conclusion: The present study showed that exposure to high sound levels leads to changes in biological parameters, although under the scenario explained in this study these changes did not reach statistical significant.