International Noise Awareness Day 2017

Hearing New Zealand celebrates
International Noise Awareness Day 2017

Ashburton, 21st April 2017: On Wednesday 26th April, Hearing New Zealand urges all New Zealanders to have more concern about the long-term impact excessive noise can have on their health. That’s in support of the International Noise Awareness Day promoted world-wide since 1996 by the Centre for Hearing and Communication.
According to Hearing NZ’s National President, Tony Rush, too often the general public really only focuses on noise when it becomes an annoyance.
“Yes, noise can be a nuisance and if it is, only then will we tend to move away from it or complain” says Rush. “But excessive noise, whether too loud or for too long a period, is often just tolerated yet has very real adverse health implications.”
“Give your ears a battering today and you really won’t notice any detrimental effect tomorrow. But noise induced hearing loss is incremental and irreversible. When you need to wear hearing aids, often after years of denial, then it’s too late to regret not being more aware of the noise you have subjected yourself to in the past´ Rush adds.
HNZ has 23 Member Associations throughout New Zealand, seeking to support their members and the around 850,000 Kiwi’s who suffer from some degree of hearing loss or hearing disability. That’s around one in five of our citizens. While some hearing loss occurs naturally, either by age or other factors, exposure to excessive noise at periods in one’s life is the biggest potentially preventable factor.
The National Foundation for the Deaf recently published Listen Hear! a report on the economic Impact of hearing loss in New Zealand. According to Rush, it is sobering reading and well worth everyone’s attention.
“You can help celebrate International Noise Awareness Day Wednesday 26th April simply by doing some research into the health impacts noise could have on you yourself” Rush urges. “After all it’s your health and your hearing”

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