by: Dr. Layne Garrett, AuD
New and Frightening Information For Young People
Scary information was recently published in the British Medical Journal Global Health. Somewhere between 670 million and 1.35 billion young people are risking their hearing by listening to music too loud, going to loud concerts and nightclubs, and other risky listening activities.
Hearing loss occurs when your are exposed to sounds over 80 decibels(dB) for extended periods of time. According to the American Speech and Language Association, you can listen to sounds under 70dB without experiencing hearing loss. Exposure to sounds over 85 dB for 8 hours or more starts to damage your hearing. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dBA. For example, you can listen to sounds at 85 dBA for up to 8 hours. If the sound goes up to 88 dBA, it is safe to listen to those same sounds for 4 hours. And if the sound goes up to 91 dBA, your safe listening time is down to 2 hours. Here are the average levels for some popular (but dangerous) sounds:
- 150 dBP = fireworks at 3 feet, firecracker, shotgun
- 140 dBP = firearms
- 120 dBP= hockey game
- 114 dBP=Baseball game, cheering + thunder-sticks, last out
- 112 dBA = maximum output of some MP3 players, rock concert
- 94 dBA = hair dryer, kitchen blender, food processor
How Does Hearing Damage Happen?
Noise damages the cochlea, a part of the inner ear containing hair cells responsible for transmitting sound to the brain. Prolonged exposure even over time can lead to hearing fatigue, fatigue, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), temporary hearing loss, or—over time—irreversible damage. In fact, up to 80% of the cells in your cochlea can be damaged without you having any noticeable effects, until it is too late.
Taking Action
We need to take action to protect our ears, and those of our loved ones, especially children. Policies like Switzerland's 100-decibel venue limits and free earplug availability set examples for noise regulation. Each one of us can take steps to protect our own hearing, such as:
- Turn down the volume: Keep devices at safe listening levels.
- Use noise-cancelling headphones: This reduces the need to turn up music to drown out background sounds.
- Take listening breaks: Give your ears time to recover.
With over 50% of young people using headphones unsafely, awareness and prevention are the keys. Hearing loss is a progressive disorder, but in many cases, the damage is preventable. Protect your hearing now, and it will serve you for a lifetime.