20 July 2011
London, UK
Passive smoking has already been known for causing several serious health hazards. Now, a new study has claimed that teenagers exposed to second-hand smoke are twice as likely to suffer from hearing loss.
The New York University study, which involved over 1,500 people aged 12 to 19 years, found that those exposed to second-hand smoke were more likely to have "sensorineural" hearing loss, which is caused by problems with the cochlea — the snailshaped hearing organ of the inner ear.
According to scientists, passive smoking affects the blood supply to the area which makes it harder for the person to understand speech and has been linked to poor academic performance and disruptive behaviour in school.
"It's the type of hearing loss that usually tends to occur as one gets older or among children born with congenital deafness," said Michael Weitzman, who led the study.
The findings add to the catalogue of health problems already attributed to secondhand smoke, including increased risks of asthma, heart disease and lung cancer, the Daily Mail reported.
For the study, the researchers carried out extensive hearing tests of the teenagers. They were also given blood tests for the chemical cotinine , a substance produced when the body breaks down nicotine. Those teens exposed to second-hand smoke, as measured by cotinine in their blood, were found to have sensorineural hearing loss than those who were not passive smokers.
Results of the study, published in journal Archives of Otolaryngology, also showed that about 80% of those affected were not aware of it. Study co-author Anil Lalwani said: "More than half of all children in US are exposed to second-hand smoke, so our finding has huge public health implications."
He added: "Milder hearing loss is not necessarily noticeable . Thus, simply asking someone whether they think they have hearing loss is insufficient." Weitzman said: "Affected kids can have difficulty understanding what is being said in classroom and become distracted. As a result , they may be labelled as troublemakers."
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