Race difference in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss.

Pure-tone audiometric thresholds were compared in 28 black and 28 matched white male Emergency Medical Service firefighters exposed to high levels of ambulance siren noise. Groups were matched on the basis of chronologic age, duration of firefighter employment, and prevalence of nonjob-related noise exposure. Results suggested that whites are more susceptible to the damaging effects of high-level noise than blacks. In both the mid- and high-frequency regions of the audiogram, blacks showed significantly better sensitivity than whites on the poorer ear. On the better ear, the sensitivity difference between blacks and whites widened as employment duration and, therefore, duration of noise exposure, increased.