Hearing loss is the leading occupational disease in the United States in both prevalence and potential cost, note the authors (of Drexel U. College of Medicine and Thomas Jefferson U.'s Jefferson Medical College) in the preface to this reference handbook designed to provide information on the issues to audiologists, industrial physicians, attorneys, medical students, occupational health and safety personnel, and other concerned individuals. The reference guide presents principles and procedures for determining the cause of hearing loss, including information on the otologic history, otologic examination, and hearing tests. It also covers noise control, hearing conservation, legislation, and other relevant subjects. For the new edition, the authors have expanded discussion on topics such as autoimmune inner ear disease, diagnosing occupational hearing loss, and other subjects and added new chapters on auditory evoked potentials, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, malignancies of the ear, otologic complications of scuba diving, and hearing in dogs. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)