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Last updated on Thursday, June 28, 2018
(UNDATED) - Ball State University audiologist Lynn Bielski urges people to protect their hearing from noise sources such as concerts, lawn mowers, road construction and fireworks.
Summer is a good time to think about year-round noise exposure, not just in specific situations like using noisy lawn mowers and concerts. These things include the use of headphones and ear buds as well as exposure to traffic and airplane noise. Summer is the perfect opportunity to evaluate all the potential sources of damaging sounds in our daily lives.
"We live in a noisy world. Our hearing is one of our senses that we, as humans, oftentimes take for granted. Excessively loud noise, music, or other sound exposure will damage our hearing and we need to take responsibility and protect it, says Bielski, an assistant professor of audiology.
"Sounds louder than 80 decibels have the potential to cause permanent damage. Yet, noise created by fireworks, traffic, concerts and landscaping equipment ranges between 90 and 140 decibels," she says.
While protecting your hearing from hazardous sounds is important in all seasons, warmer weather allows exposure to other noise sources that can lead to permanent hearing loss.
"Similar to wearing a helmet when riding a bike, or a seat belt in a vehicle, hearing protection is critical safety equipment when going to a concert, a fireworks display, or an auto race," Bielski says" "Children are also at risk for hearing damage from noise exposure."
Recent studies have shown about 12.5% or 5.2 million children have hearing loss caused by noise exposure. Parents and caregivers can help children insert foam or rubber earplugs, or use earmuffs to curb exposure. Signs of exposure to hazardous noise include:
After exposure to loud sounds, people may notice things sound muffled, or perceive ringing in their ears. This typically goes away after a few hours. However, new research has revealed that irreversible damage has already been done to the auditory system, says Bielski.
This type of damage may not result in noticeable hearing difficulty to the individual, so it has been called "hidden hearing loss". Hearing loss due to noise exposure is preventable. Strategies for reducing hearing damage due to noise include: reducing the loudness of the noise; get further away from the noise, and wearing hearing protection.
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