Prevalence of Hearing Loss among Former Mine Workers of the former Black Homeland of the Transkei, South Africa

Objective: To study the prevalence of loss of hearing among the retired mineworkers of the Transkei region of South Africa.

Method: Between May 1997 and May 2011, 2 027 ex-mineworkers were examined at the Benefit Examination Clinic, which is located in the Chest Section of Umtata General Hospital (UGH), the teaching hospital of the University of Transkei Medical School in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Results: Hearing loss was indicated by 219 (54%) of the respondents, of whom 72 (33%) were between 40 and 59 years of age. Of the 182 (45%) of workers who had worked for between 10 to 19 years in the mines, 40 (22%) indicated experiencing a loss of hearing. A strong association between hearing loss and years spent mining was detected.

Conclusion: Many (54%) of the ex-mine workers from the Transkei were found to be afflicted with hearing loss. Such a health problem demands much attention from occupational hygienists and the compensation authorities.