The weather gods seem to be playing a critical role in bringing down the noise and air pollution levels as the city celebrates the festival of lights – Deepavali.
The moderate to heavy downpour on Wednesday and Thursday evening perhaps took away the enthusiasm in bursting crackers. In addition to awareness campaigns for a smoke and noise-free festival, the rise in the price of firecrackers is said to be another reason.
But, the sale of crackers is on at different places here. More stalls have been put up at JK Grounds. Doctors and specialists have cautioned those bursting crackers to be careful and take precautions.
A person who is exposed to continuous noise at 90 dBA for a long duration in a day is vulnerable to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Though not all sounds are harmful, noise exceeding certain limits is hazardous, according to the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysore.
Advocating a ‘cracker-free’ Deepavali, AIISH Director S.R. Savithri said loud noise from crackers poses a hazard not only to hearing but also to health, especially for children and elderly citizens. Continuous exposure to noise could even cause hearing loss, she said.
Dr. Savithri said exposure to loud noises can also cause ‘tinnitus’ — a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sensation in the ears or head. She said the institute gets many patients, especially students, with hearing problems caused from bursting crackers, mainly the high-decibel ones. “There were many patients last year. Therapies or medication depends on the extent of the hearing problem. There is temporary and permanent hearing loss sometimes. Rupture to the inner ear requires immediate attention,” she said, adding that it is always safe to celebrate the festival with lights than crackers.
Loud noise can cause constriction of blood vessels, increase blood pressure and secretion of digestive juices sometimes causing ulcers in the digestive tract. Noise can also cause people become to anxious, irritable, unable to work, have headaches and dizziness and suffer from sleeplessness. Such effects of noise are exaggerated by co-factors such as drugs, alcohol and smoking, experts at the AIISH said.
