Occupational Noise in Palestine

How noise and ageing combine to affect hearing: a study in Palestinian workers.

It’s no secret that both ageing and noise exposure can cause hearing to decline.

Most people’s hearing acuity gradually lessens over the years (some people’s more than others), and we know that a person who does a noisy job for decades without hearing protection will probably end up with hearing loss.

But the ways in which noise and time combine to affect hearing are less well understood. Does noise damage in the young appear right away, or can it cause a delayed reaction, taking years or decades to show up on tests? Does noise exposure at 25 do more or less harm than the same noise exposure at 55? Does noise exposure accelerate the natural effects of ageing on the ears, or do the two simply add together?

Auditory scientist Dr Adnan Shihabi of Birzeit University is working with Palestinian volunteer research participants to improve our understanding of the interaction between noise and ageing. Answering our research questions requires some volunteers with very noisy lives (and some without), in a wide range of ages.

To achieve this goal, Adnan has forged links with employers and the community, providing hearing assessments to diverse groups and gathering the rich hearing data needed for this important area of research.