Noise – silent killer

Perhaps overlooked and belittled, noise is one of the most significant problems we have to struggle with in our civilization. Although it is commonly believed that little can be done to prevent or at least diminish its impact on our health, we tend to forget that the problem also lies within ourselves - ordinary people. Will we start appreciating the sense of hearing only when we lose it?

First, and probably the most dangerous source of sound is traffic, especially in huge and crowded cities. The level of noise in the city during rush hours can be compared to the sound of a jet airplane during a take-off. Both of them are far above human’s threshold of hearing and can lead to incurable damage of audition. To diminish this problem, some European cities imposed restrictions on car driving at central districts. Certainly it will take time to popularize this method in our country, but it may be worth avoiding traveling in rush hours and using public transport whenever possible.

What is more, MP3 players, which became widespread in almost every part of the world, allow their users to listen to music in no other way than through small in-ear headphones. Since the sound coming to our auditory organs is not diffused, they are forced to work on the edge of their endurance. Needless to say, exposing oneself to a loud stream of sounds for a long time can gradually dull one’s hearing and we should be aware of that. Moreover, if our children cannot live without their beloved MP3 player, we should make them aware of that fact as well.

Finally, more funds should be spend on precautionary medical examinations of people’s hearing. The government should make access to them as easy as possible and raise awareness among society. Many people still ignore the fact that some audition problems can be irreversible if treated too late and needs to be changed as soon as possible.

To sum up, it is not true that nothing can be done about limiting our exposure to noise, often referred to as a silent killer. The sooner we start caring about our ears and stick to prevention rather than treatment, the better it will be for ourselves. Otherwise, the perspectives of prevalent deafness among human beings may be far from imaginary.