Are noise-canceling headphones harmful to your health? How to use them safely

Now hear this.

Audiology experts are sounding the alarm about noise-canceling earbuds and headphones, warning users that blocking out background noise can affect how your brain processes sound and reduce your awareness of your surroundings.

“Noise-canceling earbuds may bring welcome silence, but they might also mask vital sounds that could save your life,” Josh Gordon, head of innovation at the Singapore technology company Geonode, told Fox News Digital last week.

Exposure to loud noise for a long period — or even just one extreme time — can lead to hearing loss because the blaring sound can damage the cells and membranes in the inner ear. Besides impaired hearing, noise pollution has been linked to increased stress, high blood pressure, disrupted sleep, and diminished productivity, among other conditions.

Adults can safely listen to 80 decibels of noise for up to 40 hours a week, according to the World Health Organization. A running motorcycle engine is about 95 decibels, while a horn signaling an approaching subway train and sporting events are about 100 decibels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Noise-canceling headphones can cut noise by 20 to 40 decibels, Gordon said. But the technology is not without risks.