Noise

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

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• Patient Handouts

Summary

Noise is all around you, from televisions and radios to lawn mowers and washing machines. Normally, you hear these sounds at safe levels that don't affect hearing. But sounds that are too loud or loud sounds over a long time are harmful. They can damage sensitive structures of the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss.

More than 30 million Americans are exposed to hazardous sound levels on a regular basis. Hazardous sound levels are louder than 80 decibels. That's not as loud as traffic on a busy street. Listening to loud music, especially on headphones, is a common cause of noise-induced hearing loss. You can protect your hearing by

• Keeping the volume down when listening to music
• Wearing earplugs when using loud equipment

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Start Here

• Hearing: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Listen Up! Noises Can Damage Your Hearing (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Noise Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Noise and Hearing Protection (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

Related Issues

• Occupational Noise Exposure (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Statistics and Research

• Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention: Facts and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Too Loud! For Too Long! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Noise (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Inner Ear Hair Cell Protection in Mammals against the Noise-Induced...
• Article: Quiet Time: A Noise Reduction Initiative in a Neurosurgical Intensive...
• Article: Relationship between occupational noise exposure and the risk factors of...
• Noise -- see more articles
• Noise induced hearing loss -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• How the Ear Works (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

Find an Expert

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Also in Spanish
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Children

• Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Patient Handouts

• Acoustic trauma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hearing loss and music (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish