1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss - warning on unsafe listening

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

１０億人の若者に難聴の恐れ、安全でない聴き方に警鐘

2022.11.16 Wed posted at 13:03 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） スマートフォンで聴く音楽やコンサート会場などの大音響によって、世界の若者１０億人以上が難聴になる恐れがあるという研究結果が、１５日の医学誌ＢＭＪグローバル・ヘルスに発表された。

スマートフォンや音楽、映画、番組などに関し、若者は大きすぎる音量で長時間聴き続ける傾向があると論文は指摘している。

論文筆頭筆者のローレン・ディラード氏によれば、世界の１２～３４歳の若者のうち、推定６億７０００万～１３億５０００万人が安全でない聴き方をしており、そのために聴覚を失う恐れがある。同氏は世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）のコンサルタントで米サウスカロライナ医科大学の研究員。

ディラード氏によると、音量が大きすぎると耳の中の感覚細胞や構造に疲労が生じ、その状態が長く続けばダメージが恒常化して難聴や耳鳴り、またはその両方を引き起こしかねない。

そうした状態は、ヘッドホンの使用のほか、コンサートやバー、クラブへ行くことによって生じる。

研究チームは２０００～２１年にかけて発表された安全でない聴き方に関する科学論文を総合的に調査した。

米疾病対策センター（ＣＤＣ）が定める安全な騒音レベルの限度は８５デシベルで週４０時間程度。だが今回の研究によれば、１日に２時間半聴いただけで約９２デシベルに相当する。

スマートフォンで音楽を聴く時は１０５デシベルまで音量を上げることもあり、コンサート会場などでの音量は多くの場合、１０４～１１２デシベルに達する。

聴覚を守るためには企業や個人が対策を講じて安全な聞き方を奨励する必要があるとディラード氏は話している。

Translation

  (CNN) According to a study, listening to music on smartphones and loud noises at concerts could cause hearing loss in more than 1 billion young people worldwide, this was published in the medical journal BMJ Global Health on the 15th.

The study pointed that for smartphones in relation to music, movies and programs, young people tended to listen to at too high a volume for long periods of time.

According to the study's lead author, Lauren Dillard, an estimated 0.67-1.35 billion young people aged 12-34 worldwide already were practicing unsafe listening and were at risk of losing their hearing. He was a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dillard said that excessive volume could fatigue the sensory cells and structures in the ear, if such situation continued, damage could become permanent and would cause hearing loss or tinnitus, or both.

Such conditions were caused by the use of headphones, as well as by going to concerts, bars and clubs.

The research team conducted a comprehensive review on scientific papers on unsafe listening published between 2000 and 2021.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had set a safe noise level limit of 85 decibels for about 40 hours a week. But according to the study, the equivalent would be just two and a half hours of listening per day of 92 decibels.

When listening to music on a smartphone, the volume could reach to 105 decibels, and in many cases, such as concert venues, the volume reached 104 to 112 decibels.

Dillard said that hearing protection required encouraging companies and individuals to take steps in safe listening.

So, a report has estimated that 0.67-1.35 billion young people aged 12-34 worldwide are practice unsafe listening and are at risk of losing their hearing. I think it is global heath issue that deserves the attention of individual government.

Note:

BMJ Global Health is an open access, online journal dedicated to publishing high-quality peer-reviewed content relevant to those involved in global health, including policy makers, funders, researchers, clinicians and frontline healthcare workers. (https://gh.bmj.com/)