At times the hazards to your hearing are obvious: a loud jet engine beside your ears or the bellowing machines on the floor of a factory. easy to persuade people to protect their ears when they know they will be around loud noises. But what if your hearing could be damaged by an organic substance? Simply because something is organic doesn’t always mean it’s healthy for you. But how is possible that your ears could be harmed by an organic substance?
You Probably Won’t Want to Eat This Organic Compound
To clarify, these organic compounds are not something you can pick up at the produce department of your supermarket and you wouldn’t want to. According to recent (and some not-so-recent) research published by European scholars, there’s a strong chance that a group of chemicals called organic solvents can damage your hearing even if exposure is brief and minimal. To be clear, the sort of organic label you find on fruit in the supermarket is totally different. The truth is, marketers utilize the positive associations we have with the word “organic” to get us to buy products with the implication that it’s good for you (or at least not bad for you). The term organic, when related to food signifies that the growers didn’t use certain chemicals. The term organic, when associated with solvents, is a chemistry term. In the discipline of chemistry, the word organic refers to any compounds and chemicals that have bonds between carbon atoms. Carbon can generate a large number of molecules and consequently useful chemicals. But at times they can also be hazardous. Millions of workers each year work with organic solvents and they’re regularly exposed to the dangers of hearing loss as they do so.
Where do You Come Across Organic Solvents?
Organic solvents are used in some of the following products:
- Degreasing elements
- Adhesives and glue
- Cleaning supplies
- Varnishes and paints
You get it. So, the question suddenly becomes, will painting (or even cleaning) your bathroom harm your hearing?
Organic Solvents And The Risks Related to Them
The more you’re subjected to these substances, according to current research, the higher the associated hazard. So when you clean your house you will most likely be okay. It’s the industrial workers who are constantly around organic solvents that have the highest danger. Ototoxicity (toxicity to the auditory system), has been demonstrated to be associated with subjection to organic substances. This has been demonstrated both in laboratory experiments using animals and in experiential surveys involving actual people. Hearing loss in the mid frequency range can be impacted when the tiny hair cells of the ear are injured by solvents. The problem is that a lot of businesses are don’t know about the ototoxicity of these compounds. These hazards are even less recognized by workers. So those employees don’t have standardized protocols to safeguard them. All workers who handle solvents could get hearing exams regularly and that would really help. These hearing screenings would be able to detect the very earliest signs of hearing loss, and workers would be able to respond appropriately.
You Need to go to Work
Most suggestions for protecting your hearing from these specific organic substances include regulating your exposure as well as regular hearing screenings. But if you expect that advice to be successful, you need to be mindful of the dangers first. It’s simple when the hazards are plain to see. No one doubts that loud noises can harm your ears and so precautions to safeguard your hearing from day-to-day sounds of the factory floor seems logical and obvious. But it’s not so easy to persuade employers to take precautions when there is an invisible threat. Luckily, continuing research is assisting both employees and employers take a safer approach. Some of the best advice would be to wear a mask and work in a well ventilated place. Having your hearing evaluated by a hearing expert is also a practical idea.