Every day we experience sound in our outdoor and indoor environments: the television, radio, washing machine, automobiles, buses, trucks, airplanes, trains, car alarms, motorcycles, lawn mowers, chain saws, construction equipment, and ventilator systems. Noise pollution is a growing problem in the world today, one that has immediate and cumulative adverse effects on health. When an individual is exposed to harmful sounds -- sounds that are too loud, or loud sounds over a period of long time -- sensitive structures of the inner ear can be damaged, causing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
What are the Effects of NIHL?
The effect from impulse sound can be instantaneous and can result in an immediate hearing loss that may be permanent. The structures of the inner ear may be severely damaged (Franks, 2000). This kind of hearing loss may be accompanied by tinnitus -- ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ears or head -- which may subside over time. Hearing loss and tinnitus may be experienced in one or both ears, and tinnitus may continue or intermittently throughout a lifetime.
The damage that occurs slowly over years of continuous exposure to loud noise is accompanied by various changes in the structure of the hair cells. It also results in hearing loss and tinnitus. Exposure to impulse and continuous noise may cause only a temporary hearing loss. If the hearing recovers, the temporary hearing loss is called a temporary threshold shift. The temporary threshold shift largely disappears within 16 hours after exposure to loud noise. Both forms of NIHL can be prevented by the regular use of hearing protectors such as ear plugs or ear muffs (Franks, 2000).
Other Adverse Effects of Noise
The World Health Organization's Guidelines for Community Noise enumerate a wide range of health effects caused by noise......
