Hearing Protection
According to recent data, 36 million Americans have hearing loss. Of these individuals one in three developed their hearing loss as a result of exposure to noise. Furthermore, approximately 12% of all children ages 6-19 have noise-induced hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells that are found in our inner ear, or cochlea. Hair cells are small sensory cells that convert the sounds we hear into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once our hair cells are damaged, they cannot grow back, causing a permanent hearing loss.
Sounds that are harmful are those that are too loud and last too long (such as a concert) and/or are very loud and sudden (such as an explosion). These harmful sounds can be encountered at work, school, home, and during recreational activities. If noise is painful to your ears or makes your ears rings, or if you have to shout over background noise to be heard, you may be in a harmful noisy environment.
The loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB). Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by prolonged exposure to any loud sounds over 85 dB. Below is a list of common everyday sounds and there corresponding loudness levels.
· 60 dB Normal conversations or dishwashers
· 60 dB Normal conversations or dishwashers
· 80 dB Alarm clocks
· 90 dB Hair dryers, blenders, lawnmowers
· 100 dB MP3 players at full volume
· 110 dB Concerts (any music genre), car racing and sporting events
· 120dB Jet planes at take off
· 130 dB Ambulances
· 140 dB Fireworks and custom car stereos at full volume
Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable. Protect your hearing by wearing hearing protection (i.e. ear plugs, ear muffs) when around loud sounds over a long period of time. Below are several products to help prevent hearing loss in children:
· LoudEnough by Ultimate Ears limits the output by approximately 20 dB without sacrificing sound quality. These earbuds are made especially for little ears ages 6 and up.
· Apple provides a free volume limiting adjustment feature through its software to limit the maximum volume for iPods and iPhones.
http://www.apple.com/sound/faq.html
· The EarSaver Volume Limiter is plugged between the music output and your earphones. It reduces the volume by approximately 17 dB with minimal effect on sound quality. For this device to have maximum benefit, you must have a set of earbuds that already fit well.
· Earmold companies make custom product for most personal devices (i.e. iPod, PSP, Nintendo DS, Portable DVD player). They provide the best possible seal and are available in many colors. Custom earplugs can be made for even the smallest ears.
· Etymotic Research has introduced ER-20 High-Fidelity Earplugs for small ear canals. These earplugs maintain sound quality while reducing the output by approximately 20 dB
· Peltor Junior Earmuffs are designed for infants as young as 3 months old and have a noise reduction rating of 22 dB. These muffs are safe and comfortable on small heads.
For pricing information on hearing protection please call the Audiology Department at (713) 523-3633.