Legislation on hearing loss and tinnitus, occurring due to noise exposure at work, has been well established in terms of protection and compensation, but the same damage resulting from noise in nightclubs remains an open issue. This study, based on a questionnaire answered by 325 university students of ages ranging from 18 to 30, explores in a subjective manner the damage caused by noise exposure in nightclubs and their awareness of this possibility. Of these subjects, 46.2% attended a nightclub at least once a week. More than half the participants experienced muffled hearing and tinnitus after exposure to noise in a nightclub and in a quarter this persisted till the following morning. 86.6% had never received information about noise induced hearing loss, although awareness of this was more prevalent in medical students. Interestingly enough, there was no statistically significant difference in the level of concern between medical and non-medical students. Only 26.8% of these subjects said that knowing the link between noise in a nightclub subsequent and hearing loss would affect their attendance. The subjects however agreed that the level of noise in nightclubs should be reduced to avoid hearing damage, so they can continue to attend. The study is limited as it is based on questionnaires and is therefore purely subjective, but it opens an important issue which is presently not governed by legislation, nor is there any warning for visitors to nightclubs that their hearing may be damaged due to noise exposure.
Noise induced hearing loss caused by nightclubs
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