CDC: About 40 million adults have noise-induced hearing loss

An estimated one in four adults have noise-induced hearing loss, according to a Vital Signs report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Forty million Americans show some hearing damage from loud noise, with nearly 21 million reporting no exposure to loud noise at work," said CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. “This can be distressing for people affected and their loved ones. We hope this report will help raise awareness of this problem and help clinicians reduce their patients’ risk for early hearing loss.” The findings are based on more than 3,500 hearing tests conducted on adult participants in the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.