[Reaction of upper respiratory tracts, cochlear and vestibular analyzers to the combined action of physical and chemical factors of the working environment].

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinico-functional state of mucosa of upper respiratory tracts, acoustic and vestibular analyzers in 638 workers opertating different techniques of plasma metal processing and exposed to different combinations of high-frequency occupational noise and toxic dust-gas mixtures containing ozone, nitric oxides, and composite aerosols. The study revealed high frequency of inflammatory and dystrophic changes in upper respiratory mucosa, functional disturbances in the vestibular analyzer and neurosensory sound-perceiving apparatus. The character and degree of these clinico-functional changes were shown to depend on a peculiar combination of the strength and duration of environmental factors affecting the above morphological structures.