October Is National Protect Your Hearing Month: CDC and NIOSH Warn Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Is Permanent but Preventable
October is National Protect Your Hearing Month in the United States, an observance sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to raise awareness that noise-induced hearing loss is nearly always preventable.
According to NIOSH, about 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels at work each year. Repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) can cause permanent hearing loss and is associated with tinnitus, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; high noise can also mask alarms and verbal warnings, raising the risk of workplace accidents. The CDC notes that noise-induced hearing loss is permanent but 100% preventable; about 15% of young people ages 6 to 19 show signs of impaired hearing, and roughly 53% of workers exposed to hazardous noise do not wear hearing protection.
Protective steps promoted during this year's observance include turning down the volume on headphones, TVs and stereos; following the 60/60 rule for earbuds (no more than 60% volume for no longer than 60 minutes at a time); wearing earplugs or earmuffs at concerts, sporting events, fireworks and around power tools; choosing volume-limiting headphones for children; and using NIOSH's free sound level meter app to check whether nearby noise is hazardous.
Source: GSM · USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 机场地勤人员佩戴防护耳罩在停机坪作业（示意）。照片：美国国防部公共领域照片（Wikimedia Commons）
