As you strike up the band and hear bombs bursting in air, please
remember to protect your hearing, pleads the WISE EARS!
coalition, a national alliance of groups, government agencies, and
private organizations committed to protecting hearing. The coalition
is sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Ten million Americans have already suffered irreversible damage
from noise, and thirty million are exposed to dangerous levels of
noise each day, prompting NIDCD Director James F. Battey, Jr.,
M.D., Ph.D., to emphasize, "It is alarming that Americans are losing
their hearing at a younger age. The greatest increase occurs for
people 45 to 64 years old. This is almost 20 years younger than we
would expect. Noise exposure appears to be the culprit. The 4th of
July is a perfect time to avert this completely preventable hearing
"While 4th of July celebrations often mean a day away from work
for many Americans, we can't forget that work-related hearing loss
is the most common occupational disease in the U.S.," said NIOSH
Director Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H. "We hope this
campaign will help make workers, employers, and others realize
that hearing loss is not an inevitable consequence of earning a
The WISE EARS! campaign was developed to increase public
awareness. Workers, employers, health professionals, teachers,
parents, children, unions, industry, and the general public need to
know that noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. The members
of WISE EARS! want people to understand that we are all at risk
for noise-induced hearing loss. Hearing can be saved by using
hearing protection devices in the workplace and at home.
The WISE EARS! coalition was formed by NIDCD in
collaboration with NIOSH and includes support from almost 50
different organizations from across the United States that are deeply
committed to reducing needless damage to hearing from noise.
Exposure to harmful sounds causes damage to the sensitive hair
cells of the inner ear, eventually affecting the nerve of hearing.
These structures can be injured by noise in two different ways: from
an intense brief impulse, such as an explosion from a firecracker, or
from continuous exposure to noise, such as in a woodworking
shop. Both forms can be prevented by the regular use of hearing
protectors such as ear plugs or special ear muffs.
The world wide web is the central source for materials, programs
and information for the public to learn more about the coalition's
activities and resources. For more information about WISE EARS!
visit its web site at: www.nih.gov/nidcd/health/wise.
As the nation's focal point for research in human communication,
the NIDCD conducts and supports biomedical and behavioral
research and research training on normal mechanisms as well as
diseases and disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice,
speech and language that affects millions of Americans.
NIOSH is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research
and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related
disease and injury. The Institute is part of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.