If you break your arm your friends and family are unlikely to ask you to carry groceries in from the car. That cast you are wearing is a visible alert to others that you are unable to use your arm for some simple tasks of everyday life.
Not so much when you suffer a hearing loss after using firearms, operating a chain saw, or attending an event like a rock concert or a sporting event without hearing protection. There are an estimated 36 million Americans with hearing loss and one in three of them developed their hearing loss from exposure to noise.
So, how loud is too loud? Noise is hazardous when: 1) It becomes too loud (measured in units called decibels (dB) and, 2) It is too long (exposure over time). Here are some markers to help you compare loudness levels. Leaves rustle at 20dB. Conversation is about 60dB. Hazardous noise from an explosion (impulse noise) is dangerous at 140dBA and continuous noise over a period of time, such as a work day in a factory, is hazardous at 85dBA. Noise measurements in 2010 at the Super Bowl were reported at 102dB. At the Stanley Cup Finals the noise was measured at 122 decibels and that was during the National Anthem! Vuvuzela horns at the World Cup were measured at 131dB. A New York City bus at 42nd St. and 5th Avenue is at 87dB. Finally, 3) how close you are to the noise also counts.
The damage to your hearing from noise exposure is PERMANENT. The hair cells in the inner ear are impaired. These hair cells deliver signals to the brain about what we hear. With hair cell damage the brain gets a distorted message instead of a clear one, sort of like listening through a defective speaker. If you have a noise induced hearing loss you do not hear clearly, especially in a background noise. This inability to hear clearly can pose safety issues. For example, the individual with a hearing loss may think that they heard “Attack!†when the command actually was “Get back!†You may ask people to repeat. Others may think that you are not paying attention or ignoring them when in fact you did not hear them.
Good hearing is a requirement for many jobs, military, police and fire. A hearing loss may shortstop your career plans.
You may develop tinnitus, sound in your ears when there is no external sound.
Hearing aids may help to manage the hearing loss but do not fix the hearing loss.
Continued exposure to noise will make the hearing loss PROGRESSIVE.
Because noise induced hearing loss is PAINLESS you may not notice the loss until the damage has been done.
NIHL is 100 percent PREVENTABLE. Hearing protective devices such as earplugs and earmuffs help to safeguard your hearing. There are even special types of devices available that are customized for recreational hunters, musicians and for occupations where radio communication is needed .You can also take charge of personal listening devices. Listen to your iPod for an hour and a half at 80% (or a volume of level eight) to reduce your increase your risk for hearing loss (Remember the how loud/how long rules?) You can move away from the noise. When you double your distance from a noise you reduce the sound by 6 decibels (Remember the how close rule?) Choose quieter tools. How about using a rake rather than a leaf blower? You can even choose a quieter place to eat. The Washington Post restaurant reviews include a “Sound Checkâ€, a rating of the decibel level in restaurants. One recent review of an eatery measured a level of 104dB!
Be proactive and preserve your hearing. Helen Keller stated, “Blindness separates you from things, and deafness separates you from PEOPLE.†(The 5th P).
Comments/Questions? Please contact Occupational Audiology – Hearing Conservation, Marge Jylkka or Shoshannah Kantor at 301-295-4665/ 400-0882.