Vol. 486 No. 2
77 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the research, if any, that has been carried out to estimate the extent of hearing impairment of young people due to exposure to excessive noise levels coming from amplification equipment at discos; and if his Department has access to any international research in this matter which ought to be disseminated to those who operate noisy equipment where young people congregate. [2098/98]
The Health Research Board is the primary vehicle for conducting health research in Ireland. It is not currently engaged in funding any research in this area.
In 1996 the National Rehabilitation Board published the Report of Epidemiology of Childhood Hearing Impairment in South-East Ireland. The report states that 8 per cent of the 6,000 children surveyed required audiology assessment, half of whom had significant hearing problems.
My Department does have access to international studies in the area of hearing loss. The British Medical Journal published a recent report stating that listening to loudly amplified music can be responsible for hearing damage of the same nature as that caused by industrial noise.
