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Liow initials the “Jom Dengar” poster.
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23rd July, 2008
BANGI: Long exposure to noise at the workplace has been identified as the main contributor to loss of hearing among Malaysians.
Disclosing this Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the number of people who suffered hearing problems due to noise at the workplace has been on the rise annually compared to those born with their hearing impaired.
A study by the Public Health Institute found that 424,000 people lost their hearing due to long hours of exposure to noise from machines.
“This problem must be viewed seriously as the ear nerve damaged because of noise will become permanent and will never be repaired,” he said after opening the “Jom Dengar” (Lets Hear) campaign at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia here yesterday.
The problem of loss of hearing among workers was due to low awareness among employers and the workers as only 23 percent of them used hearing protectors.
Liow said early detection of hearing loss could be made via audiology tests at the 19 health clinics and 33 government hospitals nationwide.
Listening to eight hours of music from MP3, MP4, Walkman, mobile phones and entertainment centres also contributed to hearing loss.
“There is a limit to music listening. Youths must take heed if they do not want to lose their hearing,” he said.
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