An entire generation is at risk of going deaf - because under 30s listen to too much music on their phones, an audiologist has warned.
Rosbin Syed, lead paediatric audiologist at Central Middlesex Hospital, said the loud music pumped into ears can be the same decibel level as a jumbo jet taking off. He pointed to figures which show the number of people under 30 with permanent hearing damage has been on the rise across the UK over the past decade.
The generally accepted maximum safe sound level of noise for long periods of time is 85 decibels. Jumbo jets taking off can be in the region of 110 decibels.
Hearing loss is irreversible and it is estimated that a large proportion of those who struggle with their hearing are due to noise exposure.
In each ear, the inner ear structure called the cochlea – which receives sound in the form of vibrations – has 15,000 hairs.
These tiny, sensory hair cells are crucial to detecting sound waves – but are very fragile. If they are damaged, it can cause hearing loss.
There are currently 11 million Britons with hearing loss, according to figures from Action on Hearing Loss.
But the charity estimates this will jump to be 15.6 million by 2035 - an increase of more than 40 per cent.
