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Subways damage hearing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-24 10:24

Public transport, especially noisy subway systems, pose a threat to passengers' hearing, according to US researchers.

Exposure to noise levels that exceed recommended limits could impair hearing among those exposed to high levels for long periods of time, concluded the study at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.

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Researchers evaluated noise levels in New York City subways, buses, ferries, tramways and commuter railways. They found that subway cars and platforms had the highest continuous noise levels but all transit systems showed potential for noise exposure.

"Noise-control efforts, including increased infrastructure maintenance and the use of quieter equipment, should be given priority over use of hearing protection, which requires rider motivation and knowledge of how and when to wear it," the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Public Health.

Reuters-AP