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 Noise
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Hearing is
a very important part of your day to day life. Hearing
enhances almost every facet of your life. It enables you
to communicate, learn, and follow instructions.
Hearing provides you enjoyment when listening to television, movies, radio, and concerts. But when
you are exposed to harmful sounds--sounds that are too loud or
loud sounds over extended periods of time--sensitive structures of your
inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss.
Some hearing loss may be temporary, but if exposure continues
it could be permanent.
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Noise-induced hearing-loss is 100%
preventable. However, once acquired, hearing loss is permanent
and irreversible.
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The following are commonly asked questions
and answers about
noise and hearing loss:
What is noise-induced hearing
loss?
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Hearing is a series of events in which the ear converts sound waves
into electrical signals that are sent to the brain and
interpreted as sound. |
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Exposure
to harmful sounds causes damage to the sensitive hair
cells of the inner ear as well as the hearing
nerve. Once these structures are damaged noise
induced hearing loss occurs and cannot be reversed. Two
types of noise can injure these structures and lead to
noise-induced hearing loss:
- Loud impulse noise - hearing a
gunshot at close range.
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Loud continuous noise - repeated exposure to
loud sounds over the 85-90-decibel level, for extended periods of time.
(For example,
listening to loud music in headphones, or working around noisy
equipment like jackhammers).
What are the symptoms associated with
hearing loss?
- Ringing or buzzing in the ears.
- Difficulty in understanding speech.
- Slight muffling of sounds.
- Difficulty understanding speech in noisy places or places
with poor acoustics.
Once you have symptoms permanent damage may have already
occurred.
- If you are having symptoms of hearing loss, have your
hearing tested by a licensed audiologist, or have your ears
examined by an ear doctor.
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Facts on Noise. League for the Hard of Hearing.
Provides multiple fact sheets about noise and related
topics.
How can hearing loss be prevented?
- Pay attention to the noises
around you and turn down the volume whenever possible.
- Use headphones that contain
acoustical limiting devices. Headsets that use acoustical
limiting devices are designed to provide sufficient
protection to keep the noise level below the level that
causes ear damage.
- Avoid the continuous use of
portable stereos in noisy conditions. (Listeners tend to turn
up their personal stereos too high, to overcome the noisy
environment and cause hearing damage).
- Avoid or limit time spent in
noisy sports events, rock concerts, and night clubs.
- Wear adequate hearing
protection, such as foam ear plugs or ear muffs, when you
must be in a noisy environment or when using loud equipment.
- For additional information, see:
Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention. National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Safety and Health Topic
Page.
How do I know how much sound is
too much?
If you have to shout when you talk to a coworker who is standing
next to you, the noise level at your workplace may be hurting
your ears.
Sound is measured in decibels. Eight hours of hearing noise
at
85 decibels could hurt your hearing. At higher sound levels,
you could lose hearing in even less time.
Workplaces where sound levels are an average of 85 decibels
or higher for more than eight hours must have programs
to save the hearing of workers. These workplaces must give free
hearing protection devices to workers.
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How
to Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. American Academy
of Family Physicians.
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Noise Meter. National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) Topic. Play around with the Noise Meter and hear the
different sounds and sound intensities of everyday objects.
Without proper hearing protection, running a chain saw for only
two minutes can become dangerous to the human ear.
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Resources from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD).
What can
I do if I work in a noisy environment?
- Your employer must follow OSHA's Occupational Noise Exposure
Standard,
29 CFR 1910.95, if applicable and:
- Implement feasible administrative and engineering
controls whenever employee noise exposures exceed 85 dBA
(eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).
- When this occurs, OSHA requires employers to notify
employees, to establish and maintain a hearing test
program, and to train workers how to prevent
occupational hearing loss.
- Wear hearing protection
provided by your employer.
What can I do if I work around noisy equipment?
Youth Occupations with Noise Exposures
Approximate noise levels teens are exposed to in some typical youth occupations.
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| Youth
Occupations
| (dB)
decibels
| Activity |
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phone operator
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60dB |
everyday conversation, ringing telephone |
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waitress, waiter, dishwasher
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70dB
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restaurant atmosphere |
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clean-up jobs
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80dB |
heavy city traffic, alarm clock at 2 feet, factory noise, vacuum cleaner, garbage disposal |
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Experts
agree that continued noise exposure above this level (85 dBA)
over time, will eventually harm hearing. In general the
louder the sound, the less time required before hearing will
be affected.
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lawn-care worker |
90dB
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subway trains, motorcycle, workshop tools, lawn mower |
record/music store
worker, auto body mechanic ,
construction/carpenter,
copy center worker,
ushers at operas or musicals
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100dB |
working near a chain saw, pneumatic drill, loud music in headphones |
manufacturing employee,
snowmobile operator,
video arcade worker,
agricultural worker,
amusement park worker
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110dB |
farm machinery, other machinery certain children's toys,
dance club |
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disc jockey
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120dB |
rock concert speaker sound, sandblasting, thunderclap |
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130dB |
jet during take off, gunfire |
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Links for Employers
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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss - Attitudes and Behaviors of U.S.
Adults. National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Safety and Health Topic. Reports that 48% of US adults believe
that they have suffered some hearing loss, including 35% of
those 18 to 29 years of age.
- Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (N-IHL) Fact Sheet. Canadian Association of
Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA), 113
KB
PDF,
2 pages.
Reports effects of excessive
noise, aside from a hearing loss, also include balance
problems, and increase in heart rate, blood pressure or
respiration, tension, anxiety, tinnitus (or ringing in the
ears), nausea, sleep disturbance, irritability, shallow
breathing, and headaches.
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Work-Related Hearing Loss. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2001-103, (2001).
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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Construction. Electronic Library of
Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH). Reports
that more than 60% of construction workers experienced
hearing loss, and the amount of hearing loss varies by
occupation.
Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine at 202-693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.
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Links for Educators
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Ten
Ways to Recognize Hearing Loss. National Institute on
Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Learn to
recognize the symptoms of hearing loss. Take the test.
- Noise
Exposure and Agriculture. National Ag Safety Database (NASD).
Indicates that farmers and other agricultural workers may
experience substantial hearing loss by the age of 30.
- Dangerous Decibels.
A Public Health Partnership for the Prevention of Noise Induced
Hearing Loss.
- Approximately 30 million Americans are affected by
hearing loss and 50 million have tinnitus: an early indicator
of hearing loss.
- 5.2 million 6-19 year olds have hearing loss directly
related to noise exposure.
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Occupational and
Community Noise. World Health Organization (WHO). Estimates
that globally, some 120 million people have disabling hearing
difficulties. The health effects of the hazardous noise exposure
are now considered to be an increasingly important public health
problem.
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