Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
Remember when your mom told you to turn down your stereo
or it would damage your hearing? You probably thought she was just an
old hen who worried too much. Well, it turns out she was probably right!
Noise is a major cause of hearing loss. Have a look at the articles
below for additional insights into NIHL.
Here's a bunch of
information on medications that may prevent NIHL!
Environmental noise as a cause of
hearing loss
Hearing loss and the military
Music as a cause of hearing loss
Recreational activities as a cause
of hearing loss
Toys as a cause of hearing loss
Special noise considerations for
kids
Protecting yourself from noise
induced hearing loss
Work and noise induced hearing
loss
Noise is an enemy of hearing, and it really doesn't take
a lot of noise to damage hearing. This is something the baby boomers are
finding out as their hearing deteriorates years before their parents'
did. Here's a great
article on noise as the cause of hearing
loss, how much noise is
necessary, and how noise damages the hearing mechanism.
How loud is too loud? Well, it depends on lots of
things, like frequency, duration, and an individual's response to loud
sounds. Here's a set of guidelines
from OSHA that relates sound level to maximum safe exposure time.
(Scroll down about a page to Table G-16 to see exposure times.) And here's
a page from the CDC that provides estimates of the noise level of
various common devices. Here's an example to help you make
sense of this. The CDC page says that a chain saw produces noise of
intensity 110 db. The OSHA page says that the maximum exposure time for
110 db is half an hour. So the conclusion is that if you operate a chain
saw without hearing protection for longer than a half an hour, you are
putting your hearing at risk.
November 2001 - Read the
wonderful fact sheet from the House Ear Institute about Noise-Induced
Hearing Loss (NIHL).
June
2003 - Is it just me or are we suddenly being inundated with articles on
noise and its effect on hearing loss? It seems that I see a related
article at least once a week! I guess that's good, if it means people
are becoming aware of noise's potential to damage hearing. Here's
a great article on noise from ASHA (http://www.asha.org/hearing/disorders/noise.cfm).
July
2003 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has some
great resources on preventing NIHL. Here's a story
with some of that information.
July 2003 - Well,
this article isn't exactly about NIHL; it's about how noise can elevate
stress hormones.
April 2005 - You missed International
Noise Awareness Day!
June 2005 - You know that noise can cause
hearing loss. But did you know that the presence of carbon
monoxide appears to increase the detrimental effect of noise on hearing?
January
2006 - Why screaming doesn't make you deaf!
February
2006 - Noise Measurements Provide False Sense of
Security
March 2006 - Survey
confirms widespread hearing loss symptoms
April
2006 - Tighter
noise law compensation claim
April 2006 -
The presence of carbon monoxide seems to
intensify hearing loss due to noise.
April
2006 - How to become rich!
April
2006 - International Noise Awareness Day
June 2006 -
Drug to Prevent and Treat NIHL Enters Clinical
Testing
June 2006 -
Auris Medical Otoprotective Drug
Clinical Trial
July 2006 -
RNID research discovers genetic link to hearing loss
caused by loud noise
August 2006 - By now we
should all know the dangers of noise induced hearing Loss (NIHL) and bow
to prevent it. If you or someone you know needs a refresher,
this article from "Inside, the NIDCD Newsletter"
should do the job.
September 2006 - How Loud is Too Loud?
October 2006 - Study of NYC transit system
noise levels finds daily rides can result in hearing loss
March 2007 - Auditory hazard specialist gets a bang out
of research
March 2007 - Five Myths in Assessing the Effects of Noise
on Hearing
June 2007 - Hearing Loss Becoming an Epidemic in Canada
July 2007 - Smoking and Noise Result in
Increased Hearing Loss
July 2007 -
NIHL Continues to Increase
August 2007 -
Longer mobile users at risk of hearing loss
September 2007 -
Extended cellphone use causes hearing loss: study
March 2008 -
Zebrafish Provide Useful Screening Tool for
Genes, Drugs That Protect Against Hearing Loss
July 2008 -
The Ultimate Sound Loudness Chart~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2003
Here's another in what is turning into a series of articles on noise
induced hearing loss (NIHL).
People used to think that they had to be around very loud sounds to
damage their hearing. It turns out that's not true. Long-term exposure
to 90 db sound levels (e.g. a lawn mower) can also cause hearing loss.
Whatever the cause, more and more people are suffering NIHL, and it
is occurring at ever-younger ages. I've seen some appalling statistics
about hearing loss in young people. One British study claims that up to
70% of regular concertgoers have displayed hearing loss symptoms.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a Federal
government agency that seeks to preserve our health and safety in the
workplace, and they have a great page on NIHL. Here are the major
topics:
* Where can I find information about noise and its health effects?
* Where can I find information to help me evaluate noise exposure?
* Where can I find information to help me control noise exposure?
* Where can I find compliance information, including regulations and
standards?
* Where can I find information about training courses related to noise?
* Where can I find additional reference information about noise?
If your interest is piqued, point your browser to:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February
2006
As
you scream for your favorite sports team, special brain cells
kick in to protect your auditory system from the sound of your
own voice, a new study suggests. These cells dampen your
auditory neurons' ability to detect incoming sounds. The moment
you shut up, the inhibition signal stops and your hearing
returns to normal, so you can then be deafened by the screams of
the guy next to you. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2006
This story is republished
with the kind permission of the folks at Hear-it (www.hear-it.org)
The global standard for noise measurements underestimates the levels
of hazardous noise, providing a false sense of security about dangerous
noise levels.
The so-called A weighted noise measurement in dB has been the
official standard for measuring noise in the workplace since the 1950s.
But these measurements underestimate the power of certain types of noise
which may cause hearing loss, according to researchers from Ålborg
University in Denmark.
Short noise peaks from rattling bottles, compressed air blasts, and
metal on metal noises are among the types of noises that the researchers
found the standard noise measuring method unfit to record.
New method needed
The common noise measuring method has three shortcomings:
* Treble noises are recorded at the same levels as base and middle
tones, yet treble noises are more damaging to people's hearing.
* Brief noise peaks are systematically adjusted to lower values even
though noise peaks can be extremely damaging to people's hearing.
* Noise emanating from a front angle is given the same value as noise
from other directions, even though the ear is more sensitive to such
noise.
The current method of noise level recording was designed to provide
indications of how the noise is perceived rather than how damaging it is
to the ears. Because of this, the researchers recommend that new and
improved methods for measuring noise in the workplace should be
developed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April
2006
Speculation
that tighter legislation to protect workers from harmful occupational
noise could spark a wave of new compensation claims for work-related
hearing problems(1) when it comes into force this Thursday is not
necessarily true, according to new research by UK health & safety
experts Croner. Nearly
two in three (65%) polled by Croner/YouGov said they are already aware
of their right to claim against an employer or former employer if they
suffer with a work-related hearing defect or hearing loss, which is
particularly common in industries such as construction, engineering,
manufacturing and printing. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2006
Anyone
interested in a hot tip on how to make a lot of money without any risk?
It's not my job to pass along financial advice, but in this instance I
can't resist the urge. Invest in a hearing aid company, because the next
generation is going deaf and they don't know it.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2006
Editor: International Noise
Awareness Day is almost here! And I bet you didn't even know it was
coming! Sadly, I didn't either, until I saw this notice from the League
for the Hard of Hearing (LHH). With increasing focus on the
dangers of noise exposure, hopefully this event will become better known
in the future. Here's the notice from LHH.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noise is all around us and
more and more people are affected by the constant noise in the home, at
work, at school and in the streets. The annual International Noise
Awareness Day brings the noise and the problems associated with it into
focus.
"It is time to address
the threat that noise poses to hearing, health, learning and
behavior," says Amy Boyle, Director of the Noise Center of the
League for the Hard of Hearing.
The International Noise
Awareness Day this year will be held on Wednesday, 26th of April.
Many events are planned
throughout the day. In one of them the public will be asked to observe
the Quiet Diet. The Quiet Diet, one minute of quiet from 2:15 to 2:16
regardless of your location, will tie the events together across the
globe.
Once again, the League for
the Hard of Hearing will sponsor this annual event.
For more information about
International Noise Awareness Day events, contact the local hearing
organization.
To learn more:
http://www.lhh.org/noise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2006
People
keep pumping up the volume on their digital music players -- and damaging
their hearing -- because those cheap little headphones can't block out
external noise. When you're walking down a busy street, riding a city bus
or taking the A train, the iPod's volume goes up, up and up when competing
with the ambient noise. Though Apple recently released software for the
iPod Nano and video iPod that locks in volume peaks with a special code, a
pair of noise-blocking or noise-canceling headphones guards against
hearing loss. With external noise blocked, music will seem as loud as
those old earbuds but at reduced actual volume.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September
2006
Your ears
are ringing. Everything sounds muffled. Oh, it'll go away by morning. This
may be a familiar series of thoughts for anyone who goes to concerts,
clubs or even bars in which the music blasts all night long. Still,
worries might linger in the back of your mind about whether you've damaged
your hearing. You think about your friend at the concert who was wearing
earplugs and was bugging you to do the same. You think of the stories
you've come across that say iPods can damage your hearing. How loud is too
loud?
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Myth 1:
A notch at 4 kHz is called a ''noise notch'' and it means that the
hearing loss was caused or contributed to by noise exposure.
Myth 2:
Asymmetric hearing losses are caused by asymmetric exposures.
Myth 3:
Occupational noise exposure is the most significant cause of noise
induced hearing loss in the United States.
Myth 4:
Occupational noise is far more hazardous than nonoccupational noise.
Myth 5:
All loud leisure noise is dangerous noise.
Here's
the story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2007
Due to the prevalence of noise in today's society,
the number of people with hearing loss is expected to grow faster than
the rate of increase of the senior population itself. A Canadian Hearing
Society Awareness survey indicated five years ago that 25 per cent of
people with hearing loss are under 40, and 70 per cent are under 60. The
average age of those experiencing hearing loss was 51. And 16 per cent
of 6 to 19 year olds have early signs of hearing loss at the range most
affected by loud sounds. Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2007
Noise is the most common hazardous agent at
workplaces. Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) has been known since the
industrial revolution. Although NIHL is permanent, irreversible and
frequent, it is preventable. The economic costs of NIHL have been
estimated to be about billions of dollars. Besides, cigarette smoking is a
common habit worldwide, and according to some recent studies smoking and
noise may act in common causal pathways for hearing loss.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2007
If your ears were ringing during the Fourth of
July fireworks, you experienced firsthand the daggerlike effect of intense
sound waves on your inner ear. No surprise. Firecrackers explode with
decibels so great that a sudden dose of more than a few minutes in
duration could make one permanently stone-cold deaf. This is no old wives'
tale, though most of the time noise-induced loss of hearing creeps up
painlessly and silently. All too many middle-agers are just finding that
out as they line up for their hearing aids in search of relief from those
strained conversations in crowded rooms, where everyone around them seems
to be mumbling. Waiting to join them in line are the growing ranks of
younger people. A Harvard survey of adolescents and young adults reported
that more than half had taken a hit to their hearing at loud music events,
either tinnitus or temporary deafness.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2007
People using mobile phones for more than four
years and longer than 30 minutes a day are at risk of developing hearing
loss particularly at higher speech frequencies, a study conducted by Post
Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research has said. "This
hearing loss was more in the dominant ear (ear of use). Presence of
fullness in the ears, ear warmth, strange noises in the ear are warning
signals which should not be ignored," Dr Naresh Panda, head of the
department of Otolaryngology (ENT) at PGIMER, who along with his team
conducted the 18-month long study, said.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2007
For years, there have been worries that
cellphones can cause anything from cancer to brain tumours. Now, a study
is sounding a new warning for cellphone users. The study is being
presented Wednesday at a meeting of the American Academy of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck and Surgery Foundation in Washington, D.C.
It suggests that long term cellphone use, particularly using the phone
primarily on one ear, may cause inner ear damage. Dr. Naresh Panda from
Chandigarh, India studied 100 young cell users. He found that those who
had used the phone for more than 60 minutes total a day for over four
years had noticeable losses in high frequency hearing. The hearing loss
was greatest in the dominant ear -- the ear usually used for their
cellphone conversations.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2008
The hearing threshold for a person with normal
hearing is around 0 db, and sound tends to become "too loud" for most
people around 110 db or so. A person in the front row of a rock concert
can experience sounds of 120 db or higher. So what is a 130 db sound like?
140 db? 150db? How about 200 db? 300 db?
Full Story
