More than 1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of suffering hearing loss due to the way they are exposed to sounds, according to a study published this week in the scientific journal BMJ Global Health.
Conducted by scientists from institutions in the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Mexico and the WHO (World Health Organization), the research analyzed articles published between 2000 and 2021 that addressed unsafe listening practices among individuals aged 12 to 34 years and estimated the impact global of the problem.
The researchers considered in the analysis voluntary exposure to noise through devices such as cell phones and MP3 players and presence in noisy entertainment venues such as concerts and clubs.
They found that 23.81% of young people are exposed to excessive noise with electronic devices and calculated the rate of those who attend noisy leisure environments to be 48.2%. Then, considering that 2.8 billion people in the world are between 12 and 34 years old, they applied this cutoff. The result was that between 666 million and 1.35 billion teenagers and young adults could damage their hearing.
Damage depends on the intensity, duration and frequency of exposure to noise. Young people subject to damage, for example, put the cell phone volume at something like 105 dB (decibels), the equivalent of a jackhammer. In addition, they spend much more time in contact with sound than the maximum admissible for that intensity. For comparison, the limit for a 98 dB sound, according to the authors, is 38 minutes, and for 101 dB it is only 19 minutes.
“Today, music is listened to via streaming, which means that we have a very large number of tracks. The person then remains using these devices for a long, long time, and with prolonged exposure there is a chance of hearing damage”, he comments. physician Arthur Menino Castilho, member of the Brazilian Association of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery (ABORL-CCF).
The average sound level in places of entertainment pointed out in the study, from 104 dB to 112 dB, also exceeded the admissible standards even for short periods of time.
“Recurrent or even single episodes of unsafe listening can cause physiological damage to the auditory system, presenting as transient or permanent tinnitus and/or changes in hearing”, warn the scientists in the article.
Concerned with the conclusions, the authors list social and economic consequences of hearing loss: it causes expenses of almost US$ 1 trillion per year, generates repercussions on well-being, is associated with a worse quality of life and other comorbidities.
For them, the results of the study show the urgent need to “implement policies aimed at safe listening habits around the world, in order to promote the prevention of hearing loss”.
They also point out that, in recent years, the WHO has made available different documents with recommendations on how to make listening safe. These include publications from the Make Listening Safe initiative and the partnership with the International Telecommunication Union, as well as the global standard for events.
The publications bring suggestions to clubbers and venues, how to monitor the noise level and offer some relaxation spaces with controlled and safe volume; guide parents, teachers and doctors to alert young people to the risks; and indicate self-protection measures, including the use of ear protectors and the adoption of silent intervals.
Another measure, says Castilho, is to use the devices without exceeding half of the factory intensity, that is, adopting the middle of the volume as a limit. “There is no officially safe way to use these devices, but the ideal is not to use them for a long time or with high intensity”.
As for concerts and events indoors, the advice is to keep your distance from the speakers and also control the length of stay. If, when leaving, there is any discomfort or ringing in the ear, it is an indication that the supported limit has been exceeded.
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