What is noise-induced hearing loss?

Our ears are full of very sensitive cells that allow us to hear. Exposure to noise can damage these cells. This damage can be caused by a single, very loud noise such as an explosion (which can make you deaf immediately), or longer exposure to loud noise such as machinery or loud music at work.

• The effects of this damage include hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that over 170,000 people suffer deafness, tinnitus and other ear conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work.
• Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is permanent and irreversible; it is also 100% preventable. The first symptoms of NIHL are problems hearing conversation in a noisy room (sometimes called 'cocktail party deafness') and tinnitus. Usually, by the time these symptoms are bad enough for you to visit your doctor about, the damage cannot be undone and will get worse even without further exposure to noise.
• Continued exposure to noise above 90 dB is likely to cause NIHL in a proportion of people exposed to it.