Mohali
3 November 2021
DIVYA AZAD
Dr. Ashok. K. Gupta, Director ENT, Fortis Hospital, Mohali today cautioned the tricity residents to take precautions while bursting firecrackers. In an advisory, the doctor said, firecrackers which constitute an integral part of the celebrations, not only cause air and noise pollution but also pose an array of health risks.
The high decibel levels cause high blood pressure, heart attack or other long term health problems. Normal decibel levels for humans is 60 Db but most crackers emit more than 80dB, a level that can cause temporary hearing loss, he said.
There are other problems caused due to noise pollution like restlessness, anger, fidgetiness, impulsive behavior and sleep disturbance. If noise is loud enough and lasts long enough, it can cause irreparable damage to hearing. The damage caused by noise is called sensorineural hearing loss or nerve loss.
Every year, post Deepavali, many cases of tinnitus (a constant ringing sound in the ear), perforations of ear drums, blocked ear and temporary hearing loss are reported. Tinnitus, which commonly occurs after noise exposure, is often permanent.
There are few facts which one should be aware of:
Fact 1: Firecrackers sound and Hearing
Sound produced by crackers is loud enough and can cause noise induced hearing loss. It is very important to know the fact that the loss caused by loud exposure to noise leads to hearing loss which is irreversible only if reported within 48 hours.
Fact 2: Symptoms of acute, sudden noise trauma after cracker sound
. Ringing, buzzing sound or tinnitus.
. Partial hearing loss.
. Blocked ears.
. Perforation of the tympanic membrane with bleeding from ear
Fact 3: Precautions that you can take against loud sound
Don’t use crackers which cause loud explosion
Use Acoustic blockers
Visit the nearest ENT Specialist in case one experiences any of the above symptoms, he suggested.
