Hearing loss is one of today's most prevalent chronic health conditions. Millions and millions of people have it, and believe it or not, only about 30% of them are over age 65. You should also know that more than five million people between the ages of 45 and 54 are living with mild-to-moderate hearing loss – and the number is rapidly growing.

The National Health Interview Survey has revealed that hearing problems for people over 45 increased 26% from 1971 to 1990. That's because they are the first generation born to the squeals and twangs of loud rock concerts, discos and clubs; the everyday rat-tat-tat and roar of power equipment on the streets; and the din and drone of grid-locked traffic punctuated by sirens, car alarms and horns. The list of environmental noise polluters is endless.

The younger generation is even more at risk. "Generation X" will have been exposed to everyday environmental noise even longer than the last and could suffer greater hearing loss than any other. Listening to loud music through headphones, the loud engines of motorcycles, running power equipment, and dancing at a disco or a loud rock concert are all hazards that the younger generation face.

And for the older generation, normal changes in hearing, like everything else, are to be expected. More than 1/3 of the senior population in the U.S. has hearing loss in a serious enough form to limit daily communication.

Hearing loss has many causes, but the environmental factors listed above – everyday noises we all live with – are one of the biggest culprits of all. Millions and millions of people have hearing problems because they have been exposed to hazardous, noisy environments – on the job, in manufacturing facilities, in the military, on our streets, in recreational settings, or at home.

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