As these exposures are common, this hearing impairment can affect many occupations and industries. Examples of activities that often have exposures to both noise and solvents include:
Printing
Painting
Construction
Fueling vehicles and aircraft
Firefighting
Weapons firing
Pesticide sprayingOtotoxic chemicals in the environment (from contaminated air or water) or in the workplace interact with mechanical stresses on the hair cells of the cochlea in different ways. For mixtures containing organic solvents such as toluene, styrene or xylene, the combined exposure with noise increases the risk of occupational hearing loss in a synergistic manner. The risk is greatest when the co-exposure is with impulse noise. Carbon monoxide has been shown to increase the severity of the hearing loss from noise. Given the potential for enhanced risk of hearing loss, exposures and contact with products such as fuels, paint thinners, degreasers, white spirits, exhaust, should be kept to a minimum. Noise exposures should be kept below 85 decibels, and the chemical exposures should be below the recommended exposure limits given by regulatory agencies. Drug exposures mixed with noise potentially lead to increased risk of ototoxic hearing loss. Noise exposure combined with the chemotherapeutic cisplatin puts individuals at increased risk of ototoxic hearing loss. Noise at 85 dB SPL or above added to the amount of hair cell death in the high frequency region of the cochlea in chinchillas.The hearing loss caused by chemicals can be very similar to a hearing loss caused by excessive noise.
Cochlear implants are sometimes an option to restore hearing. Such treatments are typically taken to comfort the patient, not to cure the disease or damage caused by ototoxicity. There is no cure or restoration capability if the damage becomes permanent, although cochlear nerve terminal regeneration has been observed in chickens, which suggests that there may be a way to accomplish this in humans. References
External links

OSHA-NIOSH 2018. Preventing Hearing Loss Caused by Chemical (Ototoxicity) and Noise Exposure Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. SHIB 03-08-2018. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2018-124. https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018124
The Ear Poisons, The Synergist, American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2018. World Report on Hearing, World Health Organization, 2021.
International Ototoxicity Management Group.