The passage discusses how exposure to loud noise over time causes hearing loss. Initially, this concern was limited to industrial workers (such as riveters in boiler factories) and military personnel. However, as technology advanced, aviators and ground crews working around jets also suffered from hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud noise. The phrase "the same thing happened to aviators" refers to the fact that aviators, like industrial workers, also experienced deafness caused by continued exposure to loud noise. Thus, option C best captures the meaning of the excerpt.