Show #439 Airing Sunday, 6/29/08
This July 4th, hot dogs and hamburgers are probably on the menu. But is harmful hearing loss being served up with dessert? Here to explain how to protect your ears and enjoy hearing “independence” is Dr. Marvin Lewis, an audiologist from Echo Hearing and Audiology.
Question: Can watching and listening to fireworks harm our hearing?
Answer: Yes. When we talk about noise exposure, there are two factors that determine whether the incident will cause hearing loss:
- How loud the sound is.
- How long you are exposed to the sound, called the “duration.”
Question: So not all loud noises are dangerous?
Answer: Some sounds are considered loud, but there is a safe exposure “duration” – in other words it may be loud enough to annoy you but not cause ear damage. Most of these safe exposure charts we go by were developed for industries and factories, etc.
The louder the sound is, the more quickly “safe exposure duration” goes down. Almost all fireworks are so loud that they have a very small “safe exposure duration” and are quite capable of damaging your hearing. Even a one-time exposure to a very loud explosion can affect you.
Question: What are warning signs that your hearing is being damaged?
Answer: You will know sounds are dangerously loud when voices begin to sound muffled or like you are underwater. Noise-damaged ears often experience tinnitus or ringing in the ears. However, by this time, it may be too late.
With any luck, after damage, you will have what we call a temporary hearing shift, and it will return to normal in a day or two. If it doesn’t change in a day or two, you may have suffered permanent hearing damage. In any case, these symptoms clearly show that your ears have been over-stimulated.
Question: How do we prevent hearing damage?
Answer: You can prevent hearing loss by using earplugs. They are inexpensive, and there are various types you can get at the drugstore. Some are soft foam; some are a wax-like material. The key is how to put them in properly, so they don’t leave any gaps that sound can get through.
Question: What doesn't work to protect our hearing?
Answer: Don’t use cotton – cotton has lots of air pockets. Sound can get through anything that air can get through.
If you wear hearing aids, those don’t protect your hearing. In fact, the amplification of the fireworks might damage your ears even more. Turning the hearing aid off does not make a good ear protector, either – use real earplugs, even if you already suffer from a hearing loss.
Question: Where can our viewers get more information about protecting our hearing, or coping with hearing loss that has already happened?
Answer: You can call my office for more information. We can send out a free booklet on hearing aids and what you need to know about them and hearing loss.
Don’t “ring in” the Fourth with ringing ears. Call Dr. Lewis today to learn how to prevent hearing loss. You can also receive a free booklet about the benefits of hearing aids. His number’s next.
