Hearing Health Summer 2015 Issue Summer 2015 | Page 10

N THE NOIS
OW

EI
SSU

E

Turn
Down
the
Noise,

TURN
D

hearing health

Turn Up the Quiet
The U.S. government has noise standards that mandate hearing protection
in the workplace. But there are no similar laws to protect people from loud
sounds during recreational activities or in shared public places. It’s time to
take action to protect our hearing everywhere.

O

ur world has become too noisy. The dangers of
occupational exposure have been known for years,
but now nonoccupational noise exposure has increased
enough so that it is a public health concern. Did you
know that all it takes is brief exposure—just 30 seconds
or less—to very loud noise to cause permanent auditory
damage? The National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) states that for a 115 decibel (dB)
sound, the exposure limit is only 28 seconds.
But sound levels of 100 to 115 dB are now common:
music via headphones or earbuds, car chase or explosion
scenes in movies, sports fans in a stadium, the background
noise in popular bars or restaurants, retail stores or malls,
“Turn Up the Quiet” is a trademark and servicemark
owned by SecondhandSound.org and its founder
John Drinkwater. It is used here by permission.
10 | hearing health | a publication of hearing health foundation

or even birthday parties, weddings, or other celebrations.
Noise is bothersome, impairing concentration and
leading to headaches, high blood pressure, and heart
disease. Noise is the only preventable cause of hearing
loss. The louder the noise and the longer the exposure,
the greater the chance it will cause hearing damage.
The scientific evidence is incontrovertible: Exposure to
noise louder than the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) safe noise level of 70 dB over 24 hours will damage
our auditory systems. The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limit for
workers is 90 dB over eight hours, but this threshold is
widely regarded by researchers to be set far too high.
At least workers have mandated hearing protection
in the workplace. The public does not have any such
mandated hearing protection in shared spaces.
We should differentiate between “primary” or
“voluntary” vs. “secondary” or “involuntary” noise

Photo credit: istockphoto.com/Rapido1

By Daniel Fink, M.D., and Bryan Pollard