The World Health Organization (WHO) has, as the result of its research, come to the conclusion that there are one billion teens and young adults at risk for hearing
loss. The cause stems from using
personal devices and earbuds to listen to music to going to loud events at
entertainment venues like concerts, bars, nightclubs, and sporting events. Both the amount of time you spend listening to a noise
and its loudness affect ear damage. In
analyzing data pertaining to the listening habits of 12- to 35-year-olds in the wealthy
countries of the world, the WHO found that about 50% of those studied engage in
listening to unsafe sound levels on personal devices and 40% are exposed to
unsafe volumes at entertainment venues.
Unsafe volume levels include over 85 dB for 8 hours or over 100 dB for 15
minutes. The Palo Alto Medical
Foundation indicated that 85 dB is similar to the city traffic noises heard
from a car, a common everyday sound. Because
of this prevalence of loud noises, about 360 million of the population already
have moderate to severe hearing loss, about half of which could have been
prevented, according to the UN Health Agency Worldwide. Hearing loss is permanent and cannot be
reversed, only maintained. Even musical
performers, like the Rapper Plan B and Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, have
suffered from preventable ear damage.
They both have tinnitus, which is marked by a permanent ringing tone
heard in the ears. Plan B noted that he
began to think trains were passing his house when the tinnitus began developing
and he has to wear special earplugs in order to sleep. Martin explained that he has taken extra
precautions to prevent further ringing or hearing loss by protecting his ears.
The WHO has
since launched a Make Safe Listening initiative. They stress the alternatives of using
headphones or noise canceling earbuds over regular earbuds, not listening to
volumes over 60%, taking listening breaks, using an app to monitor volume
levels, and protecting ears at entertainment venues in order to prevent the
possibility of hearing loss. WHO also
wishes to have an increase in awareness about hearing loss by parents,
teachers, and physicians, as well as informing manufactures of devices and
managers of entertainment venues about potential precautions they could
take. By taking these measures seriously
it is possible to prevent irreversible ear damage.
LaMotte, Sandee. "A Billion
at Risk for Hearing Loss from Exposure to Loud Music." CNN. Cable
News Network, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
.
Posts
