What is NIHL?
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Noise-induced hearing loss is a major public health concern. It occurs when people are exposed to sounds that are too loud, or loud sounds which last a long time—either of which can damage the hair cells in our inner ear, causing NIHL. These hair cells are important for hearing, because they convert sound into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged, hair cells cannot grow back. The hearing loss is permanent.
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WHAT SOUND IS
At the simplest level, sound is vibration that moves through air and space.

HOW WE HEAR
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Sound vibrations enter the outer ear (the Pinna). These vibrations travel down the ear canal and pass across the eardrum (Tympanic Membrane) into the middle ear where the sound waves move the three smallest bones in the human body (the Malleus, the Incus, and the Stapes). These vibrations extend into the Cochlea, a small snail-shaped structure that is filled with a liquid that surrounds tens of thousands of microscopic hair cells. The movement of these hair cells stimulates the auditory nerve which then travels to the brain and is interpreted as sound.