Sting joins Swiss company’s hearing loss initiative

Sting has enlisted to join an impressive diplomatic corps of 35 other musicians, actors and celebrities to have signed up as Hear the World ambassadors.

"Our hearing is not only integral to how we communicate but also how we experience the world around us," Sting said in a press release.

"It's a fact that we gain more information from hearing than seeing. I hope by supporting this campaign people are reminded to appreciate every sound and fully protect their sense of hearing,” he added.

Hear the World spokesperson, Nicolle Ming told Swisster about the key role that musicians play in the initiative. “No other art can endorse the importance of good hearing better than music,” she said.

“It is universal and transcends geographical, social and linguistic boundaries. Music is the ideal medium to spread the message.”

Each ambassador is shot cupping an ear for the campaign by none other than singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, the initiative’s official photographer.

“Bryan supported our initiative since the beginning and was a key element to get celebrities like Annie Lennox, Lenny Kravitz or Rod Stewart on board,” said Ming.

Hearing loss statistics provide cause for concern. “One in every six people worldwide is affected by hearing loss – the equivalent of people who own a car,” Ming explained.

“As the population ages – and noise pollution in the world increases – more and more people will be losing their hearing. The consequences of untreated hearing loss can extend as far as complete social isolation,” she warned.

Experts estimate that hearing loss will affect around 1.1 billion people around the world by 2015.

Aside from tastefully engineered photographs of the ambassadors, the Hear the World Foundation website offers a hearing loss questionnaire to help visitors gauge the health of their aural capacities.

An audio section provides indications of just how much noise is too loud.

The Foundation calls for volunteers and donations and says it channels them (and technical support) into non-profit organizations and projects all over the world which attempt to improve the livelihoods of hearing loss sufferers.

Some of these proceeds have been pumped into the Al Amal school for children with hearing loss in Jordan and construction of a hearing centre in Nairobi, Kenya, according to the website.

Hearing impairment can be hereditary, caused by disease (such as measles, menigitis or mumps), physical trauma, certain drugs, or over-exposure to noise (jet engines, loud concerts and headphones are some of the most common triggers).

"Today the most common forms of hearing loss are said to be presbycusis or age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss," said Ming.

"The underlying reason for those types of hearing loss is wear and tear of the inner hair cells inside the Cochlea. Noise we are confronted with in our daily life, be it at work or on the street, has been constantly increasing for many years and is straining our ears nearly all day," she added.

In many cases, loss of hearing is biologically irreversible.

Phonak established the Hear the World Foundation in 2006.