Washington -- U.S. Congressman John Peterson (R-PA/5) announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $90,614 competitive grant to doseBusters USA, Inc. of State College to continue the development of a cost-effective method to protect against occupational noise-induced hearing loss.

DoseBusters was founded in 2000 with the primary goal of developing and marketing the Exposure Smart Protector (ESP), which "has the potential to eradicate work-related hearing loss," according to doseBusters principal Kevin Michael." The ESP integrates traditional occupational hearing protection with a personal noise monitor, enabling safety managers to measure and document the worker's actual noise exposure. Employers can use this information as part of their worker safety program, both to reinforce the need to wear hearing protection and to monitor individual noise exposures."

The grant will enable doseBusters to improve the commercial potential of the ESP device. The first objective will be to make the ESP more competitive with the cost of current hearing conservation programs. Secondly, doseBusters will use the funding to integrate two-way radio communications with the in-ear noise monitoring of the ESP system, allowing workers wearing the system to use commerical radios without having to remove their hearing protection. "Each year, 30 million workers are exposed to excessive noise," said Kevin Michael. "The ESP represents the first innovation in the field of industrial hearing conservation in three decades. The principals of doseBusters USA would like to thank Congressman Peterson for his role in promoting doseBusters USA and other small businesses in Central Pennsylvania."

"DoseBusters is a great example of a small business that is using innovation and technology to succeed," said Congressman Peterson. "This grant will not only help a State College area business grow, but will also lead to improved worker safety across the country. I would like to applaud the doesBusters USA family and thank the National Institutes of Health for their support of this innovative project."