Global study on hearing loss causes highlights problem in Palm Beach County

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — South Florida is an area known for its high energy, and sometimes loud bars and nightclubs. But that same loud music and sounds we enjoy for fun contributes to an even bigger problem highlighted in a new study.

It’s published in the journal BMJ Global Health, estimating that more than 1-billion people between 12 and 34 years old worldwide are likely engaging in unsafe listening practices, and therefore are at risk for hearing loss.

CBS12 took a closer look at this study for us here in south Florida, and it looks like our area is not exempt from the problem.

The study says the unsafe practices were tracked according to use of headphones, as well as attendance at entertainment venues such as concerts, bars, and clubs.

"We’re blessed here with multiple bars and clubs for adults and concerts for people of all ages, so the risk factors here locally might be as high as anywhere else,” said local doctor and ENT David Kay.

Dr. Kay defines unsafe practices as voluntarily choosing to expose your ears to sounds that can be damaging to your hearing potentially in the long term. He says the two most important factors for unsafe listening are intensity and duration. Exposure to sound at too high a volume can fatigue the sensory cells and structures in the ear, leading to a higher chance of causing hearing loss.

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Dr. Kay says ringing in the ears are some early on-set symptoms.

“I used to see it a couple of times a week, now I’m seeing it several times a day of teens presenting to the office complaining about ringing in the ears, almost invariably from loud noise exposures. That’s the harbinger of potential hearing loss down the road. So what starts as a little bit of ringing noise can over the next few years or decades turn into a hearing loss,” said Dr. Kay.

At the two facilities Dr. Kay works, St. Mary’s Medical Center & West Boca Medical Center, he says it used to be a big problem with high school and middle school kids, but now he’s even seeing it in elementary aged kids. That's ages seen younger in Palm Beach County than in the study. But it’s widespread access to devices or loud places that Dr. Kay says poses risk to all ages.

“The study brings to light an important realization that we, as a society, are exposing ourselves to a tremendous amount of involuntary noise damage to our ears,” said Dr. Kay.

Dr. Kay says there are many ways you and your loved ones can practice safe hearing.

“If the music is so loud that you can’t have a conversation with the person next to you, you really want to limit the amount of time you’re there in that venue. If that’s not possible, do the same thing workers do when they work in jobs with loud noise exposure and out a pair of foam earplugs in your ears to help dampen the sound,” said Dr. Kay. “For personal listening devices, many now have settings on them that can dampen the amount of noise that is produced through the headphones. So, parents when giving kids those devices, make sure those settings are turned on because those devices are to provide entertainment, you don’t want to have those same devices providing damage long-term.”

Here's what the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends as safe noise levels for listening to music on devices and at venues:

The CDC limits safe noise levels at around 85 decibels over 40 hours a week. If you are listening for only 2 1/2 hours over a day, that is the equivalent of about 92 decibels, the study said. Plugged into a smartphone downloaded with mp3 audio files, listeners often choose volumes as high as 105 decibels, and venues often range from 104 to 112 decibels, the study said.