Study Shows Secondhand Smoke Doubles Risk of Hearing Loss in Teens

By James Famodimu, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A new study conducted by the NYU School of Medicine reveals that young people exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke have double the risk of hearing loss than those who are not.

The study was conducted nationwide involving more than 1,500 participants ranging from ages 12 to 19.

The new research refutes previous studies conducted that determined secondhand smoke only caused hearing difficulty in individuals as they progressed in age.

Teens were first evaluated in their homes and given extensive hearing tests and were evaluated through blood samples to determine what levels of the nicotine chemical cotinine were present in their systems. Participants with the highest levels of the cotinine chemical were the most likely to suffer from hearing issues.

Research also showed that teens exposed to smoke performed worse across every sound frequency tested, particularly mid-to-high frequencies that are vital in the brains process for understanding speech.

One researcher sates to the medical journal the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, “[Tobacco smoke is] independently associated with an almost two-fold increase in the risk of hearing loss among adolescents.”

Experts feel the link between hearing loss and secondhand smoke does not get as much discussion because most individuals are ignorant to whether or not they are suffering from hearing difficulty.

Study researcher Michael Weitzman, MD states, “One of the most intriguing findings in this study is that almost 80 percent of the people with hearing decreases were not aware on the face they had hearing decrease.”

Anil Lalwani, MD another expert in the study, states that since hearing loss can be hard to initially detect, schools and parents should put more emphasis on conducting regular hearing tests so that problems will not be allowed to develop unchecked.

The researchers have revealed plans for a new experiment researching the connection between hearing loss, academic performance and behavior in youths.

Studies show that more than 50 percent of U.S. children are currently being exposed to secondhand smoke.