Frequency-dependent changes in vascular and sensorineural function in a model of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)

摘要

The risk of developing HAVS is in part dependent upon the vibration frequency a worker is exposed to. The International Standards Organization (ISO) standard (ISO-5349) presents a frequency-weighted curve that estimates the relative risk of injury associated with exposure to different frequencies. However epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that the weighting curve underestimates the risk of injury with exposure to vibration at mid-range frequencies (i.e., 100-500 Hz). In ths study we used a rat tail model of HAVS to assess frequency-dependent changes in vascular and sensorineural function after 10 days of exposure to vibration at 62.5, 125 or 250 Hz. We found that exposure to vibration at 250 Hz (which is near the resonant frequency of the rat tail and human fingers) produced significant changes in vascular and sensorineural function and morphology. These changes were consistent with the development of dysfunction and injury. Based on these findings we suggest that the ISO-5349 standard be revised to give greater weighting to mid-range vibration frequencies.