It is known that going to a nightclub and being exposed to 100 decibels for hours is not good for hearing health. In fact, any prolonged exposure to noise above 80 decibels becomes problematic. However, it is less known that the situation is much more delicate for the little ones: the noise of cars on a traffic day, the TV playing in the background while the child is in the room, or the noise of some toys can have a lasting impact to their hearing ability. This is the warning from the American Academy of Pediatrics in a scientific report published in the journal Pediatrics. “Noise pollution is a significant public health problem that requires urgent attention. The impact on hearing and quality of life in the early stages can influence the course of a child’s life. A wake-up call must be given,” demands Dr. Brian Reilly, one of the report’s authors.
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Due to the different anatomy of the outer ear, the risk is greater in children than in adults. The smaller the channel, the greater the intensity at the highest frequencies: at birth it is about six kilohertz and, according to one study, drops to three by the age of two, then reaches the values analyzed by adults. The ear canal reaches adult size and orientation around age nine, but the middle ear cavity does not reach adult size until adolescence. However, the maturation of the auditory pathways and cerebral cortex is not achieved until the age of 20, so young people up to this age are significantly more sensitive to loud noises and are more susceptible to developing hearing loss or problems.
“Even minor hearing loss can have profound and negative effects on language, language comprehension, communication, classroom learning, and social development,” the report authors emphasize. Another study published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngol estimates that one in six American teenagers has hearing problems. The authors acknowledge the need to further investigate the association between noise exposure and early hearing loss, but insist on the need to raise awareness among pediatricians of the mantra of prevention before cure. “Ultimately, babies and young children rely on the mercy of their parents and carers to protect them from excessive and unnecessary harmful noise. It’s up to them to protect their little ones’ hearing health,” emphasizes Reilly.
“The most difficult thing for us is to convey to specialists the idea that lost hearing cannot be restored. That is why it is so important to avoid as much as possible situations that can damage our hearing,” explains Luis Lassaletta, President of the Otology Commission of the Spanish Society of Otolaryngology. The doctor, who did not take part in the study, regrets that there is no data on its incidence in children in Spain, but emphasizes that, in general, the age at which problems begin is decreasing: “Hearing loss, which was previously thought to that he appears.” 70-80 years old, now starts at 50-60″.
Although the report was written taking into account the data on the situation in the United States, the recommendations and lines of research proposed in it also apply to Spain, says pediatrician Gonzalo Pin, coordinator of the Sleep and Chronobiology Group of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, which is not the case with the research had worked. “It’s a very interesting work because even though noise pollution is the little sister of light pollution, it doesn’t get the same attention. Until the Industrial Revolution, the sounds we had were thunder, storms and little else. “The variety of sounds we have now puts our hearing health to the ultimate test,” admits the doctor.
Out of the control of children
One of the factors that puts young people’s hearing health at greatest risk is personal hearing aids. “Using headphones at too high a volume is incredibly common among children and teenagers. This is an important area for parents and pediatricians to focus on for prevention efforts,” advises Pin. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, 23.8% of young people who use high-intensity personal audio devices or attend venues with loud music are at risk of developing deafness or hearing loss. Global Health.
Many devices already have a built-in warning system that alerts users when they exceed the recommended limit or provides a weekly report on the headphones’ audio levels. You can even enable an option that allows you to reduce noise above 80 decibels, which according to many studies is the maximum intensity that the ear should be able to withstand. “For me it comes down to the volume being set too high when you have to take off your headphones to hear what your parents want to say to you,” explains Lassaletta.
There are other factors that affect infants and school-age children more severely that the American Academy of Pediatrics analyzes in the report. For example, the background noise of television can be disturbing for little ones, especially if the exposure is continuous and exceeds four hours a day. “It is important to remember that noise exposure includes not only intensity, but also duration and frequency must be taken into account,” emphasize the authors.
Care must also be taken in the academic environment: it is important that measures are adjusted to ensure that 35 decibels are not exceeded at least 80% of the time. “Once you realize how loud supposedly child-friendly places can be, it’s hard to ignore what your own ears are telling you: Too loud, please turn it down,” advises Reilly.
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