There is a health crisis unfolding, and yet very few people are aware of it. We are living in a noisy world, and it is taking its irreversible toll on our sense of hearing as we turn up the volume, fire up leaf blowers, attend concerts and enjoy our MP3 players.
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common disability in America today. Yet it is a hidden disability, developing so slowly and insidiously that we don’t recognize its effects until it is too late. The amount of environmental noise has doubled each decade for the past 20 years, and there is every reason to believe we’ll continue to see an increase in “noisy world syndrome.”
Hearing damage occurs when loud sounds destroy the sensitive tiny hair cells of the inner ear. Once 20-30 percent of these cells disappear, hearing loss becomes noticeable-and irreversible.
According to the National Institute on Deafness, more than 28 million Americans currently have some degree of hearing loss and, as our population ages over the next 25 years, the number is expected to climb to as high as 78 million. Baby boomers are now developing hearing loss in their 40’s and 50’s rather than their 60’s and 70’s as their parents did.
Some causes of hearing loss are unavoidable, but noise-induced loss can clearly be prevented. In the U.S., 5.2 million children between the ages of 6 and 19 already have some degree of noise-induced hearing loss, and this number is rising due to hours of constant exposure to MP3 players and the like. In a recent survey of young adults, two out of three reported having tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or hearing loss, but only 8 percent were “concerned about hearing problems.”
Noise-induced hearing loss can result from an acute blast of sound, but the much more common causes may seen quite innocuous. At the center of the current crisis is the Apple iPod, the 800-lbs. gorilla of the MP3 player market. More than 250 million iPods have reportedly been sold since the technology’s introduction in 2001.
One only has to watch high-schoolers getting off the bus to realize the huge impact the MP3 player is having on youth today – an impact that will continue to deepen as MP3 players increasingly become standard with PDAs, mobiles phones and other devices we use every day for hours on end.
MP3 players such as the iPod have been blamed for noise-induced hearing loss for several reasons. First, the average MP3 player can play music at 120 decibels, and, after just 7.5 minutes at this level, damage can occur. The iPod’s digital technology and ear buds are so refined in their technology that, even at high volume, there isn’t the distortion that in the past would cause us to turn the music down. Because the ear buds don’t occlude the canal, the background noise has to be overridden by the iPod volume, essentially adding to the already noisy world we live in.
Numerous musicians are now discussing their noise-induced hearing loss in an effort to educate young people about the dangers of loud music and sounds. In 1989, Pete Townsend of The Who admitted he had sustained very severe hearing loss as a result of years of loud music exposure. The list of others now discussing their hearing loss includes Bruce Springstein, Neil Young, Ted Nugent, Mick Fleetwood, Sting and Jeff Beck.
Education and awareness are the keys to preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Many coordinated efforts are now under way to educate the youth of today so they don’t become the deaf of tomorrow.
David C. Kelsall, M.D.,is medical director for the Rocky Mountain Ear Center. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
