• Project number: F 2170
• Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
• Status: Completed Project

Description:

In the last years physical employment examinations have revealed that the hearing of young people is degrading. Obviously noise exposition during leisure activities causes hearing damages at an early stage. Apart from regular discotheque attendance, the consumption of music at home, by portable audio devices or the sounds of PC games as well as the use of fireworks with the risk of acute hearing damages play a crucial role for the degradation of hearing. Furthermore, drug or alcohol abuse and the application of ototoxic pharmaceuticals may have an influence. For the planning of an effective prevention it is important to identify the substantial reasons and to attain information on the degree and the development of hearing loss. In a co-operation with a grammar school the noise exposure and the hearing of pupils will be investigated during their years of school attendance. The results will provide a basis for future prevention measures.