Recreation and Hearing Loss
People rarely think that their recreational activities can cause hearing
loss. The variety of recreational activities that can cause hearing loss is
actually a little surprising!
December
2001 - Mobile Phone Games are Latest Threat to Hearing
February
2006 - Doc warns on snowmobile noise
April
2006 - Don't let gun sports backfire on you
August 2006 -
Asymmetric Hearing Loss from "Shooter's Ear"
March 2007 - Listen up if you still can
March 2007 - Races give fans an earful
September 2007 - Hunters' hearing at stake
November 2007 -
Facts and insight on how you can prevent hearing loss
afield
November 2007 -
Motorcycle Hearing Protection - Earplugs - Street
Survival
November 2007 -
Are Movies Too Loud?
February 2008 -
Ready to do something about
restaurant noise?
April 2008 -
Customers Like Loud Restaurants
May 2008 -
Sporting Events Potentially
Harmful to Hearing
November 2008 -
Dangerous Decibels? Are Movies Too Loud?
January 2009 - Golf can make you deaf?
June 2009 - Motorcycles hazardous to your hearing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2001
We should all know by now that attending a concert can be a threat to
a person's hearing, as can having headphones at a high volume. These
threats are in addition to the more mundane threats of a loud workplace
or social environment. Now we're learning that games on mobile phones
are potentially more damaging than any of these other situations.
A German magazine called "Computerbild" recently tested 16
mobile phone games, of which only one met government noise guidelines.
The loudest of the games reached a hair cell destroying sound level of
133 dB. This is comparable to standing near a screaming jet engine
without ear protection, and is well past the 120 dB pain threshold.
I don't think cell phone games are much of a threat in the US yet,
because our cell phone technology is well behind that of Europe. But
Europeans (especially parents) need to be on the alert for these games
now, and those of us in the US can expect this trend to arrive here
before too long.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2006
A Yale University
physician and professor said the National Park Service should
issue warnings to the public and park employees about potential
hearing damage sustained from winter snowmobile noise. Dr. Peter
Rabinowitz, occupational and environmental medicine program
professor at the New Haven, Conn., school, said this week a Park
Service report showed noise was "high enough to potentially
cause hearing loss if the exposure was prolonged."
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August
2006
Q: I am
looking for information about hearing loss and firearms. I read an article
some years ago that gave information about the difference in ear-level dB
exposure in shooters/hunters that shot both right and left handed. [snip]
A: Ear
shadow is a real effect for long gun shooters. Most indications are that
the head provides up to a 15 dB shadow in high frequencies, so depending
on the type of firearm and frequency of use, significant differential in
hearing loss between ears could be expected.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2007
I shot a .22 for the first time at about five years
of age sitting on my father's lap. I shot the rifle and pistol
competitively in college and have spent countless hours at the trap, skeet
and sporting clays courses. And, I've hunted like a maniac for 50 years. I
have a hearing loss. It showed up first in college. "Consistent with
shooters," I was told. About 15 years ago I underwent a MRI to make
sure the loss wasn't something more serious. "Too much
shooting," was the diagnosis. I'm not alone. Most of my outdoor
friends in their 50s and 60s have the same problem. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speed, a blur of colors, the smell of nitromethane
and burning rubber. They're all part of the experience that draws a huge
crowd to Gatornationals. But it's the overwhelming noise that gets race
fans where it hurts. When a Top Fuel dragster throttles up, a wave of
sound strikes your chest like a fist. The smartest among thousands of
spectators for Saturday's qualifying rounds for the 38th annual
Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway came equipped with both ear plugs
and sound-deadening ear muffs. The neophytes are probably feeling the pain
of a day at the races today. A nitro-powered dragster at full throttle
puts out 120 decibels of sound. That's not quite like standing next to a
jet engine, which puts out 140 decibels, but who'd stand next to a jet?
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2007
When a patient tells Dr. Jim House that his or her
hearing is shot, the otolaryngologist says he usually can take them at their
word. Literally. "Actually, most of the patients I see who come in with
noise-induced hearing loss are hunters," said House, of Jackson. "It's more
common than not. Firearms, both shotguns and rifles, can do a lot of damage
to your ears." The loud reports of high-powered rifles or shotguns in
popular hunting calibers and gauges can produce decibels that exceed the
accepted threshold of pain, which is 140 decibels. For example, a 12-gauge
shotgun with a 28-inch barrel can produce 151 decibels to a shooter's ear.
"There are some things that can affect the amount of sound, too," said
House, a native of Hattiesburg and an avid hunter. "For example, the shorter
a barrel, the louder the shot to a shooter. Where you are shooting is
another factor. One of the worst scenarios is deer hunting in an enclosed
shooting house with a high-powered rifle."
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2007
Turning the corner on what passed as a trail in the
great swamps of South Carolina, I spotted a bobcat. The feline was walking
away and the wind favored a life-sized mount. I discreetly racked one in,
shouldered the muzzle-braked rifle and BOOM! Well, not "boom" to me, I
didn't hear it go off as I was transfixed by the process. But two years
later, my hunting partner Paul still hassles me about making him near deaf
in his left ear as I neglected to call his attention to what was going on as
he rounded the corner a half step behind. It's odd isn't it, that so often
we just don't hear the blast when we're on game. Far less odd is that this
altered perception does nothing to protect our hearing. Predictably we
firearm folks are at a higher risk of traumatic hearing loss because of the
"boom" we all love so much. The hearing loss from repeated trauma is usually
so gradual that it isn't noticed until somebody (usually a significant
other) insists we get our ears checked. Unfortunately, this gradual process
is not an inviolate rule. Sometimes traumatic hearing loss can occur with
just a single significant incident
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2007
Measurements of motorcycle riding noise levels vary,
but are generally around 85-95 dB at speeds up to 35 mph, climbing to
110-116 dB at 65 mph. According to the chart, you shouldn't ride on the
highway for more than 15 minutes a day. Which is why you need hearing
protection-it's ridiculously easy to exceed hearing-safety thresholds in a
short period of time. Don't think wearing a full-face helmet will cut it,
either; studies have shown that, at best, they only provide a 3-5 dB
reduction in sound reaching the rider's ears. What's the answer, then?
Simple: earplugs. Earplugs lessen the amount of sound reaching your ears,
with most having a noise reduction rating of between 20 dB and 33 dB.
Looking at our example-at 115 dB and only 15 minutes of time before exposure
is harmful-if we put in 33-dB-rated earplugs, we'd then be able to ride for
as long as we wanted without hearing loss. (Don't forget: Any hearing loss
is permanent.)
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2007
After an Eyewitness News viewer contacted us because
she's concerned about the volume coming out of theater speakers, we decided
to go undercover for our latest investigation. It's just another night out
at the movies. But could you be in for more than a good time? Marjorie
Hopkins lives in Pinehurst. She wrote to us after she saw a movie with her
grandson that she says was too loud. "He almost immediately put his hands
over his ears and a little while later started crying and said it hurt it
hurt," says Hopkins. "We had to take him out of the movie," she continued,
"We didn't even stay to see the end because it hurt his ears too badly."
After hearing from Marjorie, we decided to see for ourselves whether movies
at area theaters are sometimes too loud and, if so, whether that could
eventually hurt your hearing.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2008
After poor service, noise has become the second most
common complaint of restaurant goers in the United States, according to
Zagat Survey's 2008 edition of America's Top Restaurants. In the most recent
Zagat survey for Vancouver, noise ranked as the third most irritating aspect
of dining out (after bad service and lacklustre food); in Montreal and
Toronto, it placed fourth. And as the racket continues to grow, diners are
finally speaking up - over the clatter of silverware and booming background
music - to voice their disapproval. "It's become much worse over the last
decade," says Marion Kane, a veteran food writer and broadcaster who
believes some restaurateurs deliberately create a noisy environment.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2008
IT IS THURSDAY night and Little Bourke Street's
Longrain is pumping. There are few spare seats, either in the main dining
area of the wooden-floored, brick-walled former warehouse, or in the dimly
lit bar where a DJ is stitching together a beat-heavy soundtrack. The
overwhelmingly young, fashion-conscious crowd (you would be hard pressed to
find anybody over 40) is knocking back cocktails and big-flavoured Thai food
at long communal tables, happily yelling at each other over the wall of
sound that fills the cavernous room. The noise level is certainly
impressive. According to my digital sound level meter, it fluctuates between
82 decibels (dB) early in the night and up towards 90 dB when the cocktails
start to kick in around 9.30pm. When you consider that the noise of a jet
engine clocks in at 140 dB, a regular conversation at around 60 dB and that
the Environment Protection Authority warns that sustained exposure to noise
levels of 90-95 dB may result in hearing loss, dining at Longrain is not the
place for the faint eared. But that, it seems, is just how this crowd likes
it. Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2008
High levels of crowd noise at sports events, such as
cheering, yelling, chanting, and loud drumming, are harmful to our sense of
hearing. Hearing health specialists say that repeated exposure to ambient
sounds louder than 85 decibels - a normal conversation or the humming of a
refrigeratorre potentially hazardous. Noise levels at most sports events, on
the other hand, are much higher than the recommended threshold. Depending on
the acoustics of different stadiums, noise can vary between 94 decibels (as
loud as a lawn mower) and 108 decibels (the revving of a motorcycle engine).
At some soccer matches in Europe, the stadium noise registers at a deafening
130 decibels, levels that are equivalent to sandblasting and jet engine
rev-ups. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) estimates
that some 30 million Americans are regularly exposed to dangerous noise
levels. That is an increase of 10 million from just a few years ago, and
those numbers include many young people who, due to environmental noise
exposure, experience diminished hearing as early as in their teens and 20s.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2008
From the special effects and action to the surround
sound, a trip to the theater is an adventure, but is it too much excitement
for your ears? "It feels like you are almost in the movie. It's really fun",
said Hollis Long, of West Hartford. With new technology, movies are being
played at extreme volumes, some studies state. That has moviegoers of all
ages grumbling about the noise. "I put my two fingers and I plug them in"
said Lizzie Ververis. Grace Solivan, of Windsor Locks, has sometimes left a
movie to complain to the desk and ask them to turn the movie down. So how
loud is too loud? When does noise become unsafe? There are federal standards
that limit noise exposure in the workplace but no standards are in place for
entertainment venues, such as the cinema,
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2009
Being caught in a thunderstorm or hit by a ball
ought to be the only real dangers in a round of golf. But players of this
most relaxing of games are being warned they are at serious risk of
shattering their eardrums when they tee off. Modern titanium clubs create a
'sonic boom' when they connect with the ball, say scientists. The risk of
going deaf is so great that doctors are advising golfers to wear earplugs
while they play their tee shots. Experts have identified at least one case
of a golfer of 55 who they believe has damaged his hearing as a result of
using one of the new drivers three times a week for the last 18 months.
Tests were carried out on six titanium clubs and six thickerfaced stainless
steel models and sound levels measured. While the steel clubs produced the
agreeable 'tink' of a well-hit shot, the titanium ones were much louder,
described by some as similar to a gun being fired. Dr Malcolm Buchanan, an
Edinburgh-trained ear, nose and throat specialist - and a keen golfer -
said: 'Our results show that thin-faced titanium drivers may produce
sufficient sound to induce temporary or even permanent cochlear damage in
susceptible individuals.
Full Story
