Source: Thinkstock

Cigarettes may damage much more than your lungs. New scientific research points to another hazardous side effect of secondhand smoke exposure: teen-hearing loss.

Based on results from the study “Secondhand Smoke and Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adolescents,” MedPage Today reported, “Exposed adolescents were 1.83 times more likely to experience low-frequency hearing loss than those who had no exposure, according to Dr. Anil K. Lalwani and colleagues from New York University in New York City.”

The report showed that nicotine, the main stimulant in cigarettes, and other chemicals in smoke may harm the inner ear’s blood vessels. This kind of damage affects medium-to-high frequencies necessary for clear hearing, including the discernment of similar-sounding words.

Explaining the effects of this type of hearing loss in young children, the medical news website added that it “has been shown to interfere with not only speech and language development, but also cognitive function, academic progress, and social interaction.”

The study, published by Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, found that of those affected, 82 percent were unaware of their hearing loss.

The researchers concluded that adolescents constantly exposed to secondhand smoke “may need to be closely monitored for early hearing loss with periodic audiologic testing.”