About One in Three Adults Exposed to Risky Levels of Noise, Apple Study Finds – By Jessica Rendall (CNET) / May 11, 2023
According to a study Apple conducted using data from its smartwatch, many adults are exposed to excess noise, which can lead to hearing loss and more.
The world is loud. For some people, depending on where you live, your job and other factors, it’s even louder. Add to the background noise the current status quo of headphones, earphones and the constant stream of music and video straight into your ears, and you have ripe pickings for a population study on how noise will impact hearing over time.
Apple, which launched its health study initiatives in 2019 using health data collected from contributing users’ iPhones and Apple Watches, released an update last month on its hearing research, which used data from about 130,000 participants between November 2019 and December 2022. The most recent study update, in partnership with the University of Michigan, looked at sound exposure across the US and Puerto Rico — particularly noises above 70 decibels, which is the level that can increase risk of hearing loss over time.
According to the study, about 1 in 3 adults are exposed to “excessive” noise, or about 77 million adults. The highest percentage of participants in the study who live with excessive noise levels are in Puerto Rico, while the lowest percentage live in Washington, DC.
