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Common hazards for your hearing
Excessive noise at work
Volume controls on electronics
Concerts and discos
Restaurants and cafés
Loud tools and machinery
Foreign bodies in the ear
Disease and infection
Tips to reduce hearing hazards
First, it is important to be aware: your hearing is delicate and cannot regenerate once it is lost!
Tips to reduce hearing loss:
Sound bounces off of hard, flat surfaces. Soften the surfaces of a room or office by adding carpet, plush furniture, fabric on the walls, or plants.
Block gaps under doors to prevent unwanted noise from entering the room.
Keep the volume of your TV, radio, and stereo as low as possible. EXTRA CARE must be taken when using headphones - keep the volume as low as possible.
At concerts and clubs, avoid standing close to the speakers. Use earplugs or wear a cap that covers your ears in especially loud environments.
Avoid overly noisy restaurants and cafes.
Wear ear protection whenever using noisy tools or machinery.
Do not use cotton swabs to clean inside your ears, as they increase the risk of infection. Clean ears carefully with warm water when bathing.
Ear aches and infections can lead to hearing loss. Visit a medical professional right away should you experience any ongoing pain in your ear.
Quiz
Mohammed does the following actions. Which one could help him prevent hearing loss?
Having the volume too high on electronic devices commonly leads to hearing loss, so having the volume as low as possible is important to take care of your hearing health. Once your hearing is lost, it cannot be recovered. Cotton swabs can push ear wax into the ear and do more harm than good. When you go to sleep is not related to hearing loss.
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Take Action
Now that you're aware of some common hearing hazards, ask yourself:
How might I be damaging my hearing?
Once you have noticed these hazards, ask yourself:
What can I do to better protect my hearing?
Remember - once hearing is lost, it cannot be naturally recovered. Start protecting your hearing health today!
This Byte has been authored by
Tressa Thompson
Graduate Student in International Education at New York University