A study published by BMJ Global Health indicates that more than one billion young people aged 12-34 worldwide are at risk of severe hearing loss, which is almost half of the population in this age group. The reason ? Earphones and headphones first.
The scientists analyzed data found in 33 studies between 2000 and 2021 to arrive at these results.
Half of the world’s population affected
Thus, 23.81% of people aged 12 to 34 are at risk of significant hearing loss. And 48.20% are faced with harmful sound volumes. That is up to 1.35 billion people, out of 2.8 in the world.
In question: “dangerous listening practices”: too loud volume in headphones and earphones. But also concerts, discos, shows and places where the music is (very) loud. Note that the researchers extrapolated the data for “places where the music is loud,” because there aren’t enough studies available.
“A single exposure to loud noise can cause temporary damage to the hearing system. But over time, continued exposure can lead to perceptible and irreversible hearing loss,” says lead author of the study, Lauren K. Dillard, PhD, PhD at the Medical University of South Carolina (USA).
Underrated results
Logically, the higher the sound level, the more the “acceptable” duration decreases. For example, it is estimated that around 80-85 decibels (a noisy restaurant, “heavy” road traffic…), we can tolerate this level for 8 hours. But at 101 decibels (dB), the limit is 19 minutes.
In Europe, “the maximum sound power output of a portable music player cannot exceed 100dB and the user must be informed when the sound level exceeds 85dB”, recalls the French government.
However, the authors of the study warn: the results are in fact underestimated, because they mainly take into account European and American data.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 430 million people suffer from disabling hearing loss worldwide. And that number could double.
