Your Hearing Can be Harmed by These Chemicals

Most people want to make sure that their hearing lasts for as long as possible in life. It is common for people to experience hearing loss as they get into later life, and some people will even go through this when they are still young.

The environment around you can have a dramatic impact on your hearing, with exposure to loud noise being the most common cause of hearing loss. Alongside this, though, chemicals can also harm your hearing. But which chemicals do you need to look out for?

What Does Ototoxic Mean?

Before looking at the chemicals themselves, it makes sense to explore the word ototoxic. This word is used to describe chemicals and substances that have a toxic impact on the ears or the nerves that lie deep inside them. Chemicals like this can cause issues like hearing loss and tinnitus, while also having the potential to cause damage to other parts of your body. This makes it crucial that you are careful around them.

Medicines & Other Pharmaceuticals

Most pharmaceutical products are tested rigorously before they make it to the market. Despite this, there are a lot of different medications out there that can cause damage to your hearing, from diuretics to antibiotics. This makes it crucial that you are only taking medicine when you absolutely need to, especially when your doctor warns you that you might experience hearing loss as a result.

Nitriles

Products like superglue, rubber seals and latex gloves often contain chemicals known as nitriles. Examples like acrylonitrile and 3-Butenenitrile have been proven to be detrimental to your hearing when you are exposed to them too much.

Solvents

Solvents, such as water, are essential to life, but others, like carbon disulfide and styrene, can cause damage to your body. These chemicals are usually only found in industrial settings, and this means that most people are safe. Activities like hobby 3D printing can also be dangerous, though, as certain materials will release styrene when you are working with them. Any workplace with substances like these needs to monitor their levels.

Metals

Metals are usually considered quite safe, with the exception of examples like lead and mercury. Both of these metals can cause a range of health issues when you are exposed to them, and hearing loss is chief among them, as it tends to come first. Most people won’t be exposed to metals like this in their day-to-day lives, but those who work in factories and other industrial environments that do use them need to be very careful.

Asphyxia

Asphyxiants cover a wide range of different chemicals, with anything that removes or displaces oxygen in the air falling into the category. Carbon monoxide and smoke are good examples of this, and both of these chemicals can cause hearing loss if you are exposed to them too much. For most people, this will be one of the biggest chemical threats to their hearing, as asphyxiants are found everywhere.

Overcoming Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is incredibly common in the modern world, with around a third of people experiencing it at some point during their lives. You need to work hard to overcome this sort of problem if you start to find your own hearing breaking down. 

An audiologist will be able to help you with this, providing you with the help and support you need to regain your ability to hear properly. This can be achieved with hearing aids, wax removal and a range of other treatments that will help you to make the most of your hearing.

Hearing aids are the most practical solution to hearing loss, coming in a variety of different styles that accommodate different challenges. The most common styles include:

• In the ear (ITE)
• In the canal (ITC)
• Completely in canal (CIC)
• Invisible in canal (IIC)
• Behind the ear (BTE)

Your audiologist will work closely with you to find the technology that is best suited to your lifestyle, aesthetic and hearing loss needs. If you have questions about hearing aids as a treatment for hearing loss, don’t be afraid to reach out to one of our staff members.

Here at Audiology and Hearing Aid Services, we have a dedicated team ready to help you with your hearing loss. You can get in touch with our audiologists by calling at 912-351-3038, and we will endeavor to provide the very best service for your hearing.