The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, Dec, 29, recorded the first case of hearing loss as a fireworks-related injury.

“Fireworks can lead to hearing loss. Firework explosions result in sound levels of 140-150 decibels (dB), which can lead to pain and ear injury after exposure,” the health agency’s statement read.

“For comparison, the sound of a normal conversation is around 60 dB; the sound of a motorcycle is 95 dB; sirens are at 120 dB. Loud noises above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to ears,” it added.

According to the health agency, a 23-year-old woman from Central Luzon suffered hearing loss following a passive exposure to skyrockets, commonly known as kwitis in the country.

It added that no case of amputation or ingestion was recorded yesterday, following the previous reports of watusi ingestion and amputations following fireworks use.

DOH’s Firework Related Injury (FWRI) report logged 96 FWRI with the majority of cases coming from the National Capital Region (NCR) with 33, followed by Central Luzon with 12, Ilocos Region with 12, Soccskargen with 6, Bicol Region with 5, and Western Visayas with 5.