Toys and Hearing Loss
December
2001 - ASHA Reminds Consumers to Beware of Noisy Toys
November
2006 - Noisy toys are not for delicate ears
December
2006 - All I Want for Christmas Is ... a Toy with a
Mute Button
November 2007 - Sight & Hearing
Association Releases Annual Noisy Toys List
December 2007 -
Greater Parental Guidance Suggested for Noisy Toy Use
May 2008 - Deafening call for new toy law
June 2008 - Toys - turning down the volume
November 2008 - Sight & Hearing Association releases
annual noisy toys list
December 2010 - Hearing Loss in Children: Annual Noisy Toys
List
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May 2008
Health Canada is examining the way it tests noisy
toys to make sure they aren't damaging childrens' tender ears. Many toys
seem to sing, shout, beep and wail at deafening decibels. And the current
testing method -- holding a toy at an adult arm's length -- doesn't reflect
the reality that kids hold toys close to their ears, audiologists warn.
Noise-induced hearing loss is growing. Studies in the U.S. show 12.5% of
children have hearing problems caused by noise in one or both ears.
Full Story
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June 2008
Emboldened no doubt by the recent crackdown on
lead-filled girls' jewelry, New Democratic health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis
has a new issue for those who would protect Canadian children from the
perils of the toy store: noise. Ms. Wasylycia-Leis has tabled a private
members' bill that would reduce acceptable noise levels in toys that squawk,
shriek, beep or ring. Currently, toys are considered acceptable if they emit
100 decibels or less -- about the volume of a lawnmower or motorcycle. The
NDP's bill would reduce permissible toys to those that emit 75 decibels or
less, the safety limit recognized by the World Health Organization.
Full Story
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December 2010
Before you make your toy purchases, you must know
about a few very noisy toys out there. Instead of bringing joy to your
children, these toys could give them unwanted, permanent hearing loss.
That's right; many of the toys for children on the market ring in at more
than 129 decibels (dB.) That's well above what the National Institute of
Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) considers a safe level that won't
damage hearing. In fact, the set standard level for safe noise (that is,
noises that lead to dangerous hearing loss) is 85 dB. Each year, the Sight
and Hearing Association, along with researchers from the University of
Minnesota, tests toys and puts out a list of the top ten noisiest toys to
help parents combat hearing loss in children.
Full
Story
