Kurtosis assessment of cardiovascular disease risk caused by complex noise in coal mines

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the relationship between noise kurtosis and cardiovascular disease risk while exploring the potential of kurtosis assessment in evaluating cardiovascular disease risk associated with complex noise exposure in coal mines. Methods A cross-sectional survey involving 1518 participants from the coal mining industry was conducted. Participants completed questionnaire surveys, physical examinations, and assessments of individual noise exposure levels. Individual cardiovascular disease risk was evaluated using the China-PAR algorithm. Results Among the participants, 95.03% were male, with a median age of 34.0 years. According to the cardiovascular risk assessment performed using the China-PAR, 637 individuals were classified as low risk, and 68 individuals were categorized as high risk. Notably, the group exposed to noise levels between 85 and 100 dB(A) exhibited a significantly higher risk compared to those exposed to noise levels < 85 dB(A). Regarding kurtosis (β), individuals with β < 3 were associated with low cardiovascular risk, while those with β > 5 had a high risk, with risk increasing alongside kurtosis. Correlation analysis indicated strong associations between noise kurtosis, cumulative noise exposure and cardiovascular disease risk, after accounting for individual age and service duration. Logistic regression analysis identified kurtosis and cumulative noise exposure as the primary influencing factors for cardiovascular disease risk (OR = 3.497, 1.644). Conclusions Given the pervasive presence of complex noise in the coal mining industry, kurtosis can serve as a valuable supplementary parameter for adjusting cumulative noise exposure, facilitating the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk associated with complex noise exposure in coal mines.