Opportunities and Challenges

More than 20 million Americans have suffered irreversible damage from noise, and millions more are exposed to dangerous levels of noise each day.¹⁷ The "WISE EARS!^®"7 education effort was launched by a coalition of government agencies headed by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), within the National Institutes of Health, and CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. To prevent noise-induced hearing loss, they have joined with many organizations in a national effort to educate the public about ear defense. This education effort has a special emphasis on children and persons in the workforce.

In addition, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers provide hearing conservation programs for their employees in workplaces where noise levels equal or exceed 85 decibels for an 8-hour time-weighted average.¹⁸ Many States have OSHA-approved State plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies.

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