(Newswire.net — February 28, 2015) — According to the data analyzed by World Health Organization (WHO), billions of people in noisy city environments are at risk of hearing deterioration because of the noise they are exposed to on a daily bases. However, there are 1 billion of those whose hearing may suffer irreversible damage.
Due to unsafe use of digital audio devices and playing loud music through earpieces, a billion teens and young adults are at risk of permanent hearing loss, the WHO warned on Friday.
“More and more young people are placing themselves at risk of hearing loss,” warned Dr. Etienne Krug, director at the World Health Organization’s Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention.
He explained the data shows that the potential hearing loss has been linked to both sound volume and the duration and frequency of exposure.
Dr. Krug said a noise level of both 85 dB and 105 dB can be safe, the ear can tolerate without damage 8 hours of exposure of 85 dB, and only four minutes exposure of 105 dB. A loud concert at 120 dB stops being safe after 28 seconds, while sirens or vuvuzelas threaten hearing loss after just nine seconds.
“Once you lose your hearing, it won’t come back,” warned Krug.
The WHO estimates that 360 million people around the world suffer from disabling hearing loss. Exposure to excessive noise is one of the leading causes after injury and infectious disease, claims the WHO report.
The WHO recommended safe listening times are:
85 dB (the level of noise inside a car) – eight hours
90 dB (lawn mower) – two hours and 30 minutes
95 dB (an average motorcycle) – 47 minutes
100 dB (car horn or underground train) – 15 minutes
105 dB (music player at maximum volume) – four minutes
115 dB (loud rock concert) – 28 seconds
120 dB (vuvuzela or sirens) – nine seconds