The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimated this Friday that more than 30 percent of the total population of the Americas region, 322 million people, will live with hearing loss by 2050.
According to the Últimas Noticias web portal, as part of World Hearing Day, the United Nations body revealed that this scourge affects 217 million individuals, a little more than a fifth of the continent’s inhabitants.
More than a billion people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk of hearing loss from prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music, which can have devastating consequences for their physical and mental health, education and employment prospects , warned the United Nations body.
The director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases of the World Health Organization, Bente Mikkelsenstated that the inappropriate use of personal audio devices and exposure to harmful sound levels in recreational places, become harmful practices for millions of young people and adolescents.
“The risk is intensified because most audio devices, entertainment venues and events do not offer safe listening options and contribute to the risk of hearing loss,” she argued.
Given the situation, the health authority encouraged governments to develop and implement legislation that promotes healthier lifestyles.
In this sense, for safe listening at entertainment sites and events, PAHO advised not to expose yourself to an average sound level greater than 100 decibels and to provide the public with personal hearing protection, along with instructions for use.
Finally, Mikkelsen noted that young people can best protect themselves by keeping the volume on audio devices low and by wearing earplugs in noisy places. WIL/JMP
