Influence of noise on children’s sense of hearing

Children are at risk of developing hearing problems due to their exposure to high sound pressure levels for excessive amounts of time. The aim of this project was to establish the relationship between sound levels in the most hazardous fields and their effect on children’s sense of hearing. Measuring sound pressure levels in schools, analysing earphone and headphone usage and comparing them to audiometry results enabled basic dependencies to be found. Some of the examined children fall outside the safe exposure times to certain sound pressure levels (according to WHO directives). The results analysed in frequency bands show that there is a clear correlation between a shift in hearing threshold and intensity levels in music. Noise during lessons is not very high, but the noise during breaks and of bell rings can influence children’s’ hearing to a certain extent. Due to improper usage of earphones and headphones, the young people we examined may develop hearing loss at an early age.