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World Cup Vuvuzuelas Wouldn't Cause Hearing Problems Here

Posted on Jun 28, 2010

World Cup fans wouldn't be surprised to find out that the vuvuzuelas, those annoying low-toned horns that make watching any game a problem, can cause substantial hearing loss. They're unregulated at games, and the sound levels approach that of a jet liner taking off.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that hearing loss is one of the top ten most common workplace safety issues, and that the volume at World Cup games would be much lower in the U.S., where workers would be much safer. That is until the vuvuzuelas make there way here! That's a good thing, too, because researchers note that while games are 90 minutes, hearing loss can be evident in just 15 minutes with the decibels put out by the horns. But stadium workers are certainly not the only ones who need to worry about their ears, spectators do too!

Too much noise exposure may cause a temporary change in hearing. Your ears may feel stuffed up, or you can sufer tinnitus, which is a temporary ringing in your ears. Repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent, incurable hearing loss.
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the worker safety research arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable, but once acquired, hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. A staggering fact and no wonder public health experts are worried about the use of the horns. The World Cup seems to have started a new trend - rumor has it that this noisemaker will be adopted by baseball and football fans in the United States as soon as they hit the market.