Sustained peripheral vasoconstriction while working in continuous intense noise.

The study examined the effects of exposure to continuous noise on pulse volume (vasoconstriction) and rate, as well as four-choice serial reaction time. There were 2 separate groups of 12 subjects that performed the 20-min task during simultaneous monitoring of their physiological response to continuous 93 dBA white noise or 70 dBA quiet control conditions. Pulse volume showed marked reduction, implying increased arousal, in the first 3-min exposure to noise. Although some habituation of the vasoconstriction response then occurred, pulse volume continued to remain significantly higher than in quiet throughout the work period. Serial choice performance was unaffected by noise. The results confirm that there is a physiological cost incurred when working in noise and one may be concerned for long-term effects on noise-exposed people.