{"id":1639,"date":"2020-11-18T14:55:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlestonhearing.com\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2020-11-18T14:55:34","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:55:34","slug":"bus-truck-drivers-have-significant-risk-for-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/bus-truck-drivers-have-significant-risk-for-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Bus & Truck Drivers Have Significant Risk for Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are certain professions we expect to be at risk for hearing loss<\/a>: people in the military, those who work at concert venues, musicians, air traffic controllers and construction workers, for example. It may surprise you to learn that recent research has shown that heavy-vehicle drivers, including bus and truck drivers, are also at significant risk.<\/p>\n

About Noise-Induced Hearing Loss\"Semi<\/h2>\n

Before learning about the risks involved with driving heavy vehicles, it\u2019s important to understand how we hear and how loud sounds can cause us to lose our hearing.<\/p>\n

Soundwaves from your environment are captured by the outer ear and travel down the ear canal, which leads to the eardrum. When the soundwave hits the eardrum, a vibration is created, which passes through three tiny bones within the middle ear called the malleus, incus and stapes. This vibration reaches the fluid-filled cochlea in the inner ear, which causes the fluid to move. This movement activates the tiny hair cells that line the cochlea, creating an electrical impulse. This electrical impulse travels via the auditory nerve to the brain where it is interpreted as sound.<\/p>\n

When dangerously loud sounds are funneled through the ear, they can damage or even destroy the delicate hair cells in the cochlea. These cells cannot regrow, meaning the damage and resulting hearing loss is permanent. Any sound over 85 dB \u2013 about the volume of highway traffic \u2013 can cause damage to these structures with long enough exposure.<\/p>\n

About the Study<\/h2>\n

An Iranian study published last year in the journal Environmental and Preventative Medicine<\/em><\/a> evaluated 65,533 male heavy-vehicle drivers including both truck and intercity bus drivers in Isfahan. Data was collected from February 2006 to March 2016 using pure-tone air and bone conduction audiometry parameters.<\/p>\n

They found that 26.8% of the drivers had hearing loss; 14.6% had it in both ears, 7.8% had it in just the left ear and 4.4% had it in just the right ear. For most of these drivers, the hearing loss was mild.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a heavy-vehicle driver, it\u2019s important to take steps to protect your hearing health by scheduling regular hearing tests and getting treatment when necessary<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the experts at The Hearing & Balance Center today.<\/p>\n

Learn More About Hearing Loss<\/h3>\n