Hearing Health Summer 2015 Issue Summer 2015 | Page 14

hearing health

* Write to the hand dryer manufacturers to ask for
quieter solutions. Significantly, the noise from the hand
dryers we tested were mostly found to exceed the sound
levels listed in their installation instructions.
Although it is a worthy cause to save paper (and trees) by
using electric hand dryers, we are doing so at the expense

Music to Your Ears?

colleague recently gave a
filter may be enough to block
friend and her daughter
loud restaurant noise, while
tickets to see a popular singer
a rock concert may require a
in concert. She wondered,
25 dB reduction.
“Should I be giving them
Turn down the volume. Set
earplugs, too?”
the volume on personal music
We can’t expect people
devices used with earbuds or
who love music to stop
headphones to no more than
listening to it, whether via
60 percent of the maximum
earbuds or headphones or at
volume for no more than
a concert. But we can remind
60 minutes. Volume-limiting
When music is listened to at unsafe
them, and ourselves, that
headphones are especially
volumes, it becomes the kind of noise that
hearing loss can occur from
useful for children and teens,
can damage your hearing. Here’s how to
cumulative exposure to noise,
and are sized for smaller
protect your ears while continuing to enjoy
even when the “noise” is
heads. Puro Kids headphones
your favorite tunes for years to come.
enjoyable. Noise exposure is
deliver studio-grade sound at
By M. Jennifer Derebery, M.D.
like sun exposure—the more
an always-on limit of 85 dB.
you are exposed at unsafe
(Puro Sound Labs is a Partner
levels, the greater your risk for
some ways to protect yourself.
for Hearing Health; see “Sharing a
permanent damage. But, just as you
Wear earplugs. Make sure
Sound Strategy,” page 24.)
can protect yourself from sunburns,
you use them correctly, inserting
Take a “sound break.” Even if
noise-induced hearing loss is fully
them before the noise exposure
for just a few minutes each hour,
preventable.
and deeply enough to completely
taking a break from using earbuds
A “temporary threshold shift” is
block the ear canal. If you wear
or headphones gives your ears a
the term for a short-term muffling
hearing aids, take them out and use
rest metabolically from constant
of hearing—sometimes with tinnitus
earplugs instead. Etymotic is selling
sound processing. If you notice
and/or a feeling of pressure in the
its reusable, high-fidelity ETY-Plugs
your ears are ringing during a
ears—that frequently occurs after
earplugs at three dozen popular
concert, step outside for a few
exposure to high volume. This
music venues this summer.
minutes. And never stand next to
sensation of hearing loss can actually
Consider customized musician’s
the speakers.
be measured audiometrically, and
earplugs. If you attend concerts
M. Jennifer Derebery, M.D.,
it may last for hours or up to a few
regularly, invest in customized
FACS, is an otologist and
days. It is a warning sign—routinely
earplugs, such as those made
neurotologist at the House Clinic
ignored—that your hearing is being
by Etymotic, Westone Audio, or
in Los Angeles, and a past elected
damaged. Imagine if you lost your
ACS Custom, that reduce volume
president of the American Academy
vision for two days after attending
without distorting sound. Used by
of
Otolaryngology–Head
and
a concert. You wouldn’t ignore that!
individuals in the music industry,
Neck Surgery.
Being smart about your hearing
they also allow you to preselect the
Support a Cure:
doesn’t have to mean total isolation
decibel reduction depending on the
hhf.org/donate
from music you enjoy. Here are
environment. For example, a 9 dB

14 | hearing health | a publication of hearing health foundation

Photo credit: istockphoto.com/roob

A

of our ears. A public restroom, like any other shared space,
should not be overtaken by loud sounds that can do so
much to harm our hearing health.
Shari Salzhauer Berkowitz is an assistant professor in
communication disorders at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry,
New York.