Living in the City Could Make You Deaf

Scientists estimate that as many as 90 percent of all people living inside crowded cities are exposed to strong noises around the clock. The exposure level is so high that it could lead to permanent hearing damage, including deafness.

One of the most interesting aspects of the study is that it identifies leisure activities as the primary source of noise exposure. In the past, that “distinction” belonged to loud workplaces, but that issue has since been largely resolved.

Even in large factories – where a quiet environment is made impossible by the nature of the work being conducted there – workers are issued protective equipment to shield them from prolonged exposure to strong noises.

At this time, personal MP3 players and loudspeakers are the most likely sources for high noise exposure. This is the conclusion of a study led by University of Michigan assistant professor of environmental health sciences Rick Neitzel.

Details of the investigation were published in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Neitzel says that commutes and several types of work-related activities appeared to be the most likely culprits of excessive noise exposure. The findings he made proved to be unexpected.

“That two out of three people get the majority of noise exposure from music is pretty striking. I’ve always viewed the workplace as a primary risk for noise exposure,” the investigator explains.

“But this would suggest that just focusing our efforts on the workplace isn’t enough, since there’s lots of noise exposure happening elsewhere,” he adds. Neitzel explains that people who commute are the most likely to be exposed to too much noise, when their personal habits are also taken into account.

As many as 90 percent of them constantly expose themselves to too much noise, while around 87 percent of non-commuters to the same. “I do think it’s a serious problem,” the expert says.

“There aren’t really any other experiences where we would tolerate having nine out of ten people exposed at a level we know is hazardous. We certainly wouldn’t tolerate this with another agent, such as something that caused cancer or chronic disease. Yet for some reason we do for noise,” he explains.

Chronic exposure to a lot of noise can lead to a host of medical problems, including (but not limited to) stress, sleep disturbance, and heart diseases. What this study implies is that noise is one of those issues that largely goes by unnoticed, even if it is very important, Science Blog reports.