Etymotic Research Introduces Personal Noise Dosimeter

Editor: Here's a really good idea from a company that seems to have a lot of really good ideas! Etymotic Research will be introducing a device that allows people to determine their cumulative noise exposure. Here's the press release.

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Portable, Compact Dosimeter Lets Individuals Determine Cumulative Noise Exposure

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. - Etymotic Research Inc., a world leader in enhancing and protecting hearing, has introduced the ER-200 Personal Noise Dosimeter, a portable device that measures sound levels for many hours and calculates cumulative noise exposure. Its purpose is to allow people subjected to loud environments or noise sources to estimate the potential impact on their hearing.

"The Etymotic Personal Noise Dosimeter takes the guesswork out of protecting your hearing," said Mead Killion, Ph.D., founder and president of Etymotic Research. "Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, but most people do not know how long they can listen to loud sounds without risking damage to their hearing. Over time, damage to the inner ear from noise adds up and can result in permanent damage. Our hope is that people will use our portable, compact and affordable dosimeter to gain the knowledge they need to protect their long-term hearing ability."

In most cases, the accumulation of too much noise day by day, year after year, is what leads to hearing loss. A person's daily noise dose is determined by both the intensity of the sound and the amount of exposure time. While a sound level meter measures noise at a particular point in time, a dosimeter measures sound over the course of many hours and calculates the cumulative noise dose.

The Etymotic ER-200 Personal Noise Dosimeter is an inexpensive, easy-to-use, highly portable device that provides a good estimate of noise dose and alerts the user to the risk of over-exposure.

Empowering individuals to protect their hearing

Just as people are accustomed to monitoring their blood pressure, taking their temperature or wearing radiation tags to measure exposure during certain medical procedures, using the ER-200 Personal Noise Dosimeter puts valuable health information into the hands of individuals.

"I approached Etymotic with the idea of the personal noise dosimeter because of the huge number of cases of preventable hearing loss in the United States," said Greg Flamme, Ph.D., an audiologist and professor at Western Michigan University. "I think this Etymotic product could make a real difference in the lives of people whose work or other activities expose them to high noise levels. People should be empowered to take appropriate steps to prevent noise-induced hearing loss if they know how much noise they've been exposed to. It's really no different than monitoring your weight, blood pressure or cholesterol level to prevent other health problems."

Two easy ways to monitor noise exposure

The Etymotic dosimeter offers two modes of operation: Normal mode measures and displays noise dose continuously for up to 16 hours, providing an early warning that the user is approaching over-exposure and should use hearing protection. Quick Check mode measures noise for two minutes, then calculates and displays the estimated dose per hour. It provides a quick and easy way to measure a specific noise source (e.g., loud equipment, vehicles, power tools, music concerts, sporting events) to determine if permissible exposure levels will be exceeded.

Individuals who could benefit from the Etymotic Personal Noise Dosimeter include parents whose children play with noisy toys, musicians, music instructors, sound crews, concert and club attendees, factory and construction workers, truck drivers, motorcyclists, farmers, safety engineers, audiologists and acoustic engineers.

Professional support

Etymotic's Personal Noise Dosimeter was provided to all pre-registrants of the 33rd annual convention of the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) (www.hearingconservation.org) scheduled for Feb. 21-23 in Portland, Ore. NHCA is the only national organization dedicated to the prevention of hearing loss due to noise and other environmental factors in all sectors of society.

Price and availability

The ER-200 Personal Noise Dosimeter is available directly from Etymotic Research (www.etymotic.com) for a suggested retail price of $99.

About Etymotic Research Inc.