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Home > Kids and Preteens > Listen Up! Protect Your Hearing (infographic)

Listen Up! Protect Your Hearing

(infographic)
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 LISTEN UP! PROTECT YOUR
HEARING.

To protect your hearing, use

earplugs — and try to avoid loud
noises.

Noise (sound) is all around us — at

school, at home, and all the places
in between. It’s everywhere we go.

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 But being around too much loud noise, like at concerts or
fireworks shows, can make you lose your hearing — and
once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.

Did you know?

5 in 10 young 4 in 10 young 48 million people

people (like you) people (like you) in the U.S. have
listen to their are around trouble hearing
music or other dangerously loud with one (or both)
audio too loudly noises during of their ears
events like
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 concerts and
sports games

The good news: You can protect your hearing — and still
do all the stuff you love!

Check out this noise meter to see

how loud different sounds are —
and how you can protect your
ears when you’re around them.

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 Loudness is measured in what’s called decibels (dB). Over
time, any sound that’s 85 decibels or higher can cause
hearing loss — or other hearing problems, like tinnitus (a
ringing sound in your ears that won’t go away). The louder a
sound is, and the longer you listen to it, the more it can
damage your hearing.

Pick a type of sound to see about how loud it is, and get
tips to keep your ears safe around noises at that level. You
can stop hearing loss!

80 100 1
60 20
14
40 0

16
20

0
18
0

0
WHISPERI REFRIG- DISHWAS
NG ERATOR HER

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 0 dB

CHOOSE A SOUND
CONVER- LAWNMO MOVIE
SATION WER THEATER Pick a type of sound from
the list to see about how
loud it is.

MOTORCY SPORTS HEADPHO

CLE EVENTS NES

ROCK SIRENS FIREWOR

CONCERT KS

SOUNDS ON

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 Inside your ear, there are lots
HEALTHY DAMAGED
of tiny fibers that help you
EAR FIBERS EAR FIBERS
hear. Over time, loud noise
can damage these fibers —
and once they’re damaged,
they can’t ever be fixed.
That’s why it’s so important
to start protecting your ears
now, while you’re young.

Most people don’t feel So how can you tell

any warning signs (like
pain or ringing in your
ears) until their hearing is
already damaged. And if
you think your ears can
just get used to the
noise, think again. If
when a noise is hurting
your hearing? If there’s
so much noise around
you that you need to talk
extra loud when your
friends are only a few
feet away, it’s probably

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 loud noises hurting your
don’t bother hearing. Time
you as much to bring out
as they used the earplugs
to, that means you’ve — or go somewhere
already lost some of your quieter!
hearing.

Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Start protecting your
hearing now!

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 Want to see how loud the sounds around you are? Look for a free
sound level meter app for your smartphone!
Ready to learn more? Check out these links:
• Find out how your ears work
• What did you say? What loud noises can do to your hearing
• Choose the type of hearing protection that’s right for you
• Test your noise knowledge
CDC cannot answer personal medical
questions. Please talk to your health care
professional about specific questions
concerning appropriate care, treatment, or
other medical advice. The range of decibel
levels reported in this infographic are
derived from the Noise Navigator™ Sound
Level Database — temporary and
permanent hearing loss depends upon how
close you are to an activity and how long
you are exposed to the noise levels.

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 Exposures above 85 dB can be hazardous
to your hearing.

[text version]

Infographic courtesy of the CDC National Center for Environmental Health

Last Updated Date: March 6, 2019

Journey of Sound to the Brain

Journey of
Sound to the
Brain
Learn how sounds make
their way from the source
to your brain.

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 More Videos »

It's a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing.®

This national public education campaign is designed to increase awareness
among parents of children ages 8 to 12 about the causes and prevention
of noise-induced hearing loss. With this information, parents and other
adults can encourage children to adopt healthy hearing habits before and
during the time that they develop listening, leisure, and working habits.
It's a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing.® and the Noisy Planet logo are registered
trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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