Ever since the World Cup kicked off last week, the sound of the vuvuzelas (plastic trumpets) has not stopped! Resembling the incessant drone of invading airborne armies of insects swarming across the African plains, the issue has raised concern amongst fans and players alike, as they are often unable to hear above the noise with anxieties expressed regarding the likelihood of longer term hearing damage.

The vuvuzelas, are traditional wind instruments used by South African football fans at a football match and even though recent studies show noise levels within the stadiums reach dangerous levels, it seems the noise is set to continue rather than any official intervention to prevent the trumpets being used.

A recent study saw researchers from Pretoria University in South Africa and Florida University, USA, examine the hearing of 11 football fans exposed to the noise of the vuvuzela trumpets after a football match in a modest 30,000-seater full capacity stadium.

It was found that all of them suffered from a temporary, significant hearing loss, proving conclusively, that these kinds of trumpet may cause noise induced hearing loss, and it is likely that with continuous long exposure of 10, 15, 20 minutes or more, the temporary hearing loss may become permanent. A full 90 minutes – over the duration of one complete game – might give rise to a condition not too dissimilar to industrial deafness.

Although, the noise from songs, trumpets, and other noisy devices during a football match, is part of the traditional entertainment, it is always recommended that spectators bring protective earplugs with them to each game. It may be that the players will need to do so too!