The results of a study comparing hearing-physiological effects of four energetically equivalent, but different, sound exposures are reported. All exposures were for a period of 1 h at a mean A-weighted sound pressure level of 94 dB. The four sound exposure sources were white noise, industrial noise "primarily metal working…, a medley of typical heavy metal music, and a selection of classical music. Threshold shifts and restitution time were measured for all exposures. The results of this study suggest that heavy metal music is comparable to industrial noise in terms of hearing damage risk, and that the hearing damage risk associated with classical music is lower than that associated with equivalent exposures to industrial noise. © 1999 Institute of Noise Control Engineering. †S0736-2501"99…00205-2 ‡

The following guidelines were developed for the medical assessment services of the German Federal Insurance Institute for Salaried Employees (BfA). Starting from day-to-day practice criteria and attributes to guide decisions for a systemisation of the sociomedical assessment of performance in coronary heart disease (CHD) were compiled. The guidelines aim at standardising the sociomedical assessment of performance and help to make the decision-making process more transparent - e.g. for the assessment of applications for decreased earning capacity benefits. The guidelines summarise typical manifestations of CHD and describe the necessary medical information for the sociomedical assessment of performance. Relevant assessment criteria for the medical history, clinical examination and for diagnostic tests - especially of myocardial functioning - are illustrated. The assessment of the individual's capacity is outlined, taking occupational factors into account. Following the determination of dysfunctions the remaining abilities and disabilities, respectively, are deduced and compared with occupational demands. Finally inferences are drawn regarding the occupational capacity of the individual.

Human hearing is sometimes exposed to such high levels at modern musical events that the danger of acute damage cannot be ruled out for musicians, disc jockeys and listeners, even if the exposure time is limited. In order to examine at least basically the hypothetically expected different effects of various musical styles, 10 volunteer test subjects were exposed to three types of music with equally loud lower levels. In a change-over test design over several days, quite different exposures (European and Chinese classical music, house music) with a mean level of 94 dB(A) and a limited exposure time of 1 hour were chosen for ethical as well as for pragmatic reasons. Pieces by Bach and Handel, with passages that are dominated by wind instruments, and pieces of the culturally different Chinese music were selected that are fairly similar to European classical music in terms of rhythm and melody, yet completely different with regard to pitch and instrumentation. Since nowadays, many young people prefer music with an emphasis on rhythm to classical music, a medley of monotonous, downright hammering and penetrating house music was used. After the exposures, the maximum hearing threshold shifts (TTS 2 ) were measured and the entire restitution course was recorded audiometrically. With regressionanalytically determined 13.5 dB (house music), 12.1 dB (classical music) and 9.8 dB (Chinese classical music), the TTS 2 values were not substantially different between the three exposures. Based on these results, the aural effects of house music would have been comparable to classical music. However, the restitution of the hearing after house music (with more than 2.5 hours) required a substantially longer time period. After both types of classical music, the resting hearing threshold was once again reached within less than 1 hour. Moreover, the accumulated hearing threshold shifts were substantially (more than three times) lower than the overall physiological costs associated with house music.

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The following guidelines were developed for the medical assessment services of the German Federal Insurance Institute for Salaried Employees (BfA). Starting from day-to-day practice, criteria and attributes to guide decisions for a systemization of the sociomedical assessment of performance in inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) were compiled. The guidelines aim at standardising the sociomedical assessment of performance and help to make the decision-making process more transparent -- e. g. for the assessment of applications for decreased earning capacity benefits. The guidelines summarise typical manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease and describe the necessary medical information for the sociomedical assessment of performance. Relevant assessment criteria for the medical history, clinical examination, and for diagnostic tests are illustrated. The assessment of the individual's capacity is outlined, taking occupational factors into account. Following the determination of dysfunctions the remaining abilities and disabilities, respectively, are deduced and compared with occupational demands. Finally, inferences are drawn regarding the occupational capacity of the individual.