Growing pollution of all types including noise pollution, environmental pollution, and air pollution and so on has increased since past couple of decades and has emerged as a major threat for the health and sustenance of life on our planet earth.  Occupational hearing loss is resultant of the noise pollution and can be defined as the damage to the inner parts of ears due to exposure to noisy vibrations via entertainment or profession.   In clinical terms it can be described as an acoustic trauma caused due to the excessive exposure to sound vibrations. If the sound is above 90 decibels it can affect the inner ear nerves and damage them leading to hearing loss.

Occupations carrying hearing loss risk

Ears never lose their ability to hear properly by exposure to loud noise vibrations once in a while though some cases can be exception. Exposure to sound above 90 decibels regularly and consistently is usually the main cause behind the occurrence of occupational hearing loss. There are some jobs which expose the employees to loud noise which include construction, farming, airline ground maintenance, operating noise creating machines and equipments. Considering this risk, in many countries nowadays, norms have been passed to regulate the amount of noise that can be created while operating various activities. And if it is not possible to lower the sound decibels, then uses of protective measures are made mandatory.

Symptoms of occupational hearing loss

Partial or complete hearing losses are the only main symptoms and over the time these can aggravate. Many times individuals suffering from this type of problem also experience regular noise in the ear termed as tinnitus. Tinnitus can be loud or soft and it can sound different to different people like blowing, roaring, ringing, humming, whistling, hissing, buzzing or even sizzling sound. It gives you a feel as if you are hearing the sound created by air escaping, running of water or even some musical notes.

Mere physical examination cannot reveal much and hence usually some specific tests like head CT scan, X-ray of head, audiometry or audiology are recommended.

Treatments for occupational hearing loss

Hearing loss if not treated in time can lead to deafness and become a permanent condition. Hence the doctor tries to enhance the remaining hearing ability and also guides the patient in coping with this problem by developing skills like lip reading etc. Nowadays, many advanced hearing aids too are available which can be very helpful in improving communication. Wearing plugs when in noisy surroundings is highly recommended even for normal people to protect ear damage.   

Preventing occupational hearing loss

Awareness can prevent initial and even further damage to ears and stop the loss of hearing. Some of the steps everyone should follow to protect oneself from occupational hearing loss are:

• Whenever you are exposed to loud noises try to protect your ears by wearing ear plugs or even earmuffs that can save your ears from damage
• Some recreational activities carry hearing loss risks like gun shooting, snowmobile driving etc and proper gadgets and protection measures should be taken while indulging in these activities
• If you have a habit of enjoying loud music, try limiting it for short period and do not make it a regular habit