PROTECT YOUR HEARING MONTH
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, 1.2 million residents in North Carolina experience hearing loss and an estimated 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, including 40 million adults aged 20-69 whose hearing loss is noise-induced; and
WHEAREAS, hearing loss can result from a single loud sound or from repeated exposure to loud sounds over time, with the louder sounds taking less time to cause damage to hearing, such as everyday exposures to music on personal devices with the volume set too high, fitness classes with loud music, children’s toys, concerts, bars, sporting events, movie theaters, power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, sirens, and firearms; and
WHEREAS, while noise-induced hearing loss cannot be reversed, it can be prevented by avoiding noisy places when possible, turning down the volume when watching TV or listening to music, and using hearing protection such as earplugs or protective earmuffs, or, when avoiding noise or wearing hearing protection are not possible, moving farther away and taking breaks from noise; and
WHEREAS, untreated hearing loss is associated with poor overall health, including cardiovascular risk, cognitive changes, diabetes, balance disorders, and depression, and can lead previously socially engaged adults to become isolated and withdrawn as their loss of hearing progresses; and
WHEREAS, checking one’s hearing is an important first step if you think you may have hearing loss, and with proper hearing health care, communication access, and the abundance of resources in North Carolina, these individuals can have lives that are meaningful and productive;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October, 2024, as “PROTECT YOUR HEARING MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this first day of October in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.