A study of the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) of July 14, 2011, reveals that in 2,928 participants, 12 to 19 year old, hearing loss was 14.9 percent from 1988 to 1994. That percentage increased to 19.5 percent in 2005-2006 among 1,771 participants. That is a 31% increase in deafness.
Dr. Anil K. Lalwani et al. from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City examined the risk factors for hearing loss in 1,533 individuals from 12 years to 19 years of age who participated in the NHANES in the period 2005 to 2006. The reason why they excluded 238 individual from the original 1,771, is not declared. At any rate, they concluded that teens exposed to SHS (second hand smoke) were more likely to experience hearing loss.
Now, let us reflect for a moment:
If SHS was responsible for deafness, why this has increased while SHS has decreased? As a matter of fact, in 1988 smoking ban was in force mainly in some US flights. In 1994, California became the first state to ban smoking in offices. With no chance of being contradicted, it can be said that prior to 1994, SHS was allover.
In the period 2005-2006, the smoking bans had spread throughout the States in practically all indoor places and were moving outdoors. By the same token than above, it can be stated that SHS had gone down.
I believe it reasonable to state that prior to 1994, adolescents were living amidst second hand smoke, whereas in the years 2005-6 they were living mainly in smoke-free zones. Being things as they are, shouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that, if passive smoke was related to hearing loss, we should have found a lowering of deafness?
ENTyoday, with the title:
"MP3 Generation: Noise-induced hearing loss rising among children and adolescents"
gives the right explanation for the increasing deafness in teens. Articles on the subject are plenty in specialized medical journals and, for the majority of people, in internet.
Which shows that the fib about hearing loss and SHS is a B.S.(Bedtime Story).
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