According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), even one minute of exposure to a noise over 110 decibels (a measure of loudness) can lead to permanent hearing loss. An amplified rock concert is typically around 140 decibels. In my case — yes, I’m the unfortunate fellow described above — my ears felt so clogged afterward that I could barely hear the people speaking to me. I also heard a constant, high-pitched tone, a condition called tinnitus. While I regained most of my hearing within a couple of days and the tinnitus lessened, I did suffer some permanent hearing damage. When I’m in a quiet room I can still hear the ringing. At night, I use a fan to drown out the sound so I can fall asleep.

NIDCD is leading, in collaboration with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition of 85 national organizations in a campaign to prevent the kind of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) I’ve experienced. Called WISE EARS!, the campaign includes events and a battery of materials to help people understand how we hear, how our hearing gets damaged, and how to prevent hearing loss.

About NIHL

NIDCD says that 30 million Americans of all ages are exposed to hazardous sound levels on a regular basis. Much of this exposure is at work, around machines and power tools, but people are also exposed to loud noises at play and at home. Sources of loud noises that can cause NIHL include motorcycles, firecrackers and small arms fire, all creating sounds from 120 decibels to 140 decibels. Snowmobiles, go-carts, power horns, cap guns and powered model airplanes can all damage your hearing as well. Harmful noises at home may come from vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and hair dryers.

Both the sensitive hair cells of the inner ear and the nerve that senses the sound (the auditory nerve — see diagram) are vulnerable to loud noises. Damage can result from either a brief intense noise like an explosion, or from noises like those produced by woodworking and power tools. The damage from a brief, intense sound may be instantaneous and result in an immediate hearing loss that can be permanent. It may be accompanied by tinnitus, the condition I have — a ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ears. Tinnitus may subside over time, but it also might continue constantly or intermittently for the rest of your life.

The damage that occurs over years of exposure to loud noise can also result in hearing loss or tinnitus. Often the person with the hearing loss does not recognize the gradual loss, but friends or family may. Sounds may gradually become distorted or muffled to you, and you may have difficulty understanding speech. If you suspect a problem, or others suggest you may be having difficulty hearing — for example, because you turn the television up too loud or have difficulty hearing conversations in restaurants — ask your doctor about getting a hearing test.

Prevention

Both forms of NIHL can be prevented by using hearing protectors such as ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re exposed to loud noise. You can get them at pharmacies, hardware stores, and sporting goods stores.

In a sense, I was lucky because I had a clear symptom of my hearing damage, the tinnitus. I started wearing earplugs to the many concerts I attended in the years that followed, and always make sure to wear them when using power tools or mowing the lawn. When I see people setting off firecrackers, or blasting music directly into their ears with personal stereos, or driving by with their music so loud I can hear it clearly through the closed car windows, I wonder how long it’ll be before they realize they are destroying their hearing. Permanent hearing loss isn’t worth the excitement of a booming bass line or a good guitar lick. Protect your hearing now, while you still can.
— a report from The NIH Word on Health, April 2001