[Hearing loss caused by leisure activity-induced noise]

The number of persons with hearing disability in most countries is more than 10%. In developing countries of the third world, inflammations are the most important cause of hearing dysfunction, but in more civilized countries, more and more individuals are injured by a noisy environment and by noise that is individually produced. In this way, a great number of young people acquire defects of hearing which are not reparable. As a consequence the German government has tried to control the possible danger to the community from noise and has arranged that exposure to unnecessary noises be reduced by standards and regulation.