Limit Your Risk of Hearing Loss
On March 3rd, we acknowledged World Hearing Day and the World Health Organization released six new standards for tackling the rising threat of hearing loss. According to WHO, over 1 billion people aged 12 to 35 years risk losing their hearing due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music and other recreational sounds.
“Millions of teenagers and young people are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to damaging sound levels at venues such as nightclubs, bars, concerts and sporting events,” said Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, WHO Director for the Department for Noncommunicable Diseases.
The new recommendations to limit the risk of hearing loss are below:
A maximum average sound level of 100 decibels
Live monitoring and recording of sound levels using calibrated equipment by designated staff
Optimizing venue acoustics and sound systems to ensure enjoyable sound quality and safe listening
Making personal hearing protection available to audiences, including instructions on use
Access to quiet zones for people to rest their ears and decrease the risk of hearing damage
Provision of training and information to staff
The WHO developed these standards under the Make Listening Safe initiative, and they recommend implementing them for safe listening at venues and events. Are you interested in learning about other hearing health research, developments, and best practices? Check out our other blog posts and follow our Roanoke and Crozet Facebook pages.
