Hearing News Archives

Marine Strandings Linked to Hearing Loss

By: Amanda Womac
Published Nov. 17, 2010

It is no secret that our world is getting louder and louder. Hearing loss in teens is on the rise; noise pollution in our cities is at an all-time high; and now, even our oceans and sea mammals are affected by the constant noise of our industrial world.

Marine scientists at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg and Mote Marine Laboratory published a study November 3 in the Public Library of Science linking mass strandings of whales and dolphins to hearing loss.

Advances in Newborn Screening

By: Amanda Womac
Published Nov. 9, 2010

Every day in the United States, approximately one in 1,000 newborns is born profoundly deaf. That’s about 33 babies each day. Another two to three newborns out of 1,000 are born with partial hearing loss, which makes hearing loss the number one birth defect in the United States.

Hearing Loss in Teens on the Rise

By: Amanda Womac
Published Oct. 29, 2010

Regardless of the decade you spent your teenage years in, your parents probably yelled on more than one occasion, “Turn that music down!” And, like the typical teenager, you probably shrugged off their suggestions and turned it up to drown them out.

A Moment of Silence?

By: Amanda Womac
Published Nov. 3, 2010

Do you ever wonder what happened to the peace and quiet of daily life? It seems that everywhere we go now, from restaurants and grocery stores to shopping malls and public transit, there is constant noise.

Noisy Toys to Avoid

By Amanda Womac
Published Dec. 17, 2010

According to the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), the standard level for safe noise is 85 decibels (dB). However, some toys on the shelves today ring in at more than 100 dB, well above the set standard.