STM Article Repository

Noise is unpleasant sound, a common cause of hearing disorder and a lot of occupational illnesses in the world. A boom at very close range, can permanently damage one’s ability to hear instantly. If one is repeatedly exposed to loud equipment it may cause serious risks to his hearing ability. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), several millions of people suffer irreversible hearing damage from noise, and this occurs daily due to noise from our environment [1]. Most times, these sounds seem to occur at safe levels, but become harmful when loud, even within a short time, or long-lasting. These sounds can limit the function of sensitive structures in the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can be immediate or in most cases takes time to be noticeable. It may be temporal or permanent, and can affect either ears or one ear. Though, you may not know that you are damaging your hearing ability, until you have trouble hearing in the future. Regardless of how it might affect you, one thing is certain: NIHL is something you can check (prevent), though the damage is gradual, loud noises are now common in our culture, being that no externally-visible physical changes (like bleeding) occur. As a result, people have not really appreciated the severe impact of NIHL on their daily lives until they’re perturbed by a lasting communication problem [2]. This document summarize how excessive noise can damage the hearing system, factors that influence this damage, and measures that can be applied to check (prevent) hearing impairment/loss. Researchers in collaboration with NIDCD [3] are also looking for ways of creating protective properties for supporting cells in the inner ear, which will appear to be able to decrease the damage caused to sensory hair cells when exposed to noise and also a national public enlightenment campaign to increase knowledge among families on the causes and prevention of NIHL and to implement healthy hearing habits.