Loud Noise and Its Impact on Hearing

• The festival of Deepavali, a festival of light, is accompanied by a lot of sound, with calls for the use of green crackers to reduce harmful emissions and noise.

• Despite the Supreme Court’s mandate to ban the manufacture and sale of firecrackers, loud sounds continue to be heard in festival seasons.

• Public attention is focused on air pollution, but loud sounds can also damage our hearing.

• The decibel scale measures the loudness of sound, with louder sounds ten times more intense.

• A loud firecracker can damage the hair cells in the cochlea of the ear, making them less sensitive to sound.

• Repeated assaults can result in noise-induced hearing loss.

• Loud bangs are a serious hazard for the sensitive ears of young children, as even moderate hearing loss can impair their ability to learn.

• Overexposure to noise often leads to tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, which usually subsides but can become a permanent feature of life.

• Long exposures to moderate-intensity sound levels can lead to hearing loss, as seen in road traffic in Indian cities.

• Preventive measures like wearing earplugs can help reduce the risk of hearing loss.