Adverse effects of cigarette smoke for health is irrefutable, both in those who smoked cigarettes and for smokers who are exposed to passive smoke or a burning cigarette is also known as secondhand smoke. Recent research shows that teens are exposed to smoke have nearly twice the risk of hearing loss.
Researchers from New York University School of Medicine, analyzed more than 1,500 young people aged 12-19 years who participated in nutrition and nutrition research nationwide in 2005-2006.
Participants undergo blood tests to measure levels of chemicals called continine, a fraction of the nicotine. The teens also examined the function of hearing.
The results showed that adolescents exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to have hearing loss associated with cochlear problem. The cochlea is the auditory organ that functions to send messages to the hearing nerves and brain.
"This is the type of hearing loss that usually occurs due to aging or experienced by children born with congenital deafness," said Dr. Michael Weitzman who published his research in the journal Archives of Otolarygonology.
Another researcher, Dr. Anil Lalwani, assess the facts about cigarette smoke that can cause hearing loss among adolescents has implications for public health.
While Dr Ralph Holme of UK charity Action on Hearing Loss, stating the need for more research on hearing loss to prove a causal relationship between smoking and hearing loss.
"But, as a precaution and the protection of your child's hearing, it is recommended to avoid smoking around them," he said.