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The hearing loss from exposure to noise and ototoxic drugs share a number of audiological and pathological similarities. Recent research has shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be a common factor in both noise‐ and drug‐induced hearing loss. This review describes three experiments that point to ROS as a causative factor in both noise‐ and drug‐induced hearing loss and antioxidants as a protective agent. In the first experiment, the ears of chinchillas were treated with R‐N6‐phenylisopropyladenoisine (R‐PIA) and exposed to 150‐dB impulse noise. The treated ears developed substantially less permanent hearing loss (PTS) and hair cell loss than the untreated ears. One interpretation of this experiment is that R‐PIA increases the availability of glutathione (GSH). In the second experiment, the role of GSH was specifically examined. The ears of chinchillas were treated with glutathione …