Environmental burden of disease on leisure noise among adolescents in Germany

Abstract

Introduction/Background: Leisure noise exposures become relevant due to increasing cases of hearing disturbance observed among children and adolescents in Germany. The unseen non-fatal Burden of Disease (BoD) due to leisure noise in Germany has not been widely investigated. Objectives: This study attempts to collect, analyze and document data needed for the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) calculation as a quantification of the environmental Burden of Disease attributable to leisure noise among adolescents in Germany. It also tries to fill the information gaps which are necessary for this calculation. Method: Data were obtained from German Environmental Survey for Children (GerES) IV 2003/06. For 600 participants aged 11 to 14 years exposure (listening to a Walkman, to a stereo using a headphone, visiting discotheques or attending concerts) and health outcomes (earache, tinnitus and hearing impairment) were analyzed, resulting in the calculation of DALYs for leisure noise. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis were also evaluated.