5.2 million 6-19 year old have hearing loss directly related to noise exposure*. Don’t let your child be part of this unfortunate group.PEACE & QUIET
“Offer your child peace and quiet,” says
Noise Center. “Noise poses a serious threat to children's hearing, health, learning and behavior.” (And I can’t think of an adult who functions well in a noisy environment either.) “Peace” and “quiet” usually go together because without “quiet” there can be no “peace.”
Aside from turning down TV and stereo, lowering your voice, and providing opportunity for quiet time in both their work and leisure, take a look at toys you allow your children to play with.
Fortunately my children didn’t suffer hearing loss from obnoxiously loud toys they played with, but I must admit I told them to quit for my sake, not theirs, and I was always standing a good bit father away from their toy than they were. One father I know immediately disarms any noise-making function on a toy his child receives, and this may not be a bad idea.
And because they’re young doesn’t work in this case. You might assume, for instance, that your teenager can take that 85 decibels (dB) music because he’s a teenager, but that isn’t case. Children’s ear canals are shorter than adults, and therefore more vulnerable to damage in this way.
A study conducted by Henry Ford Health System found that many current toys, including tape recorders, bike horns, cap guns, and toy telephones, are not safe for your child’s hearing. Of 25 they tested, more than half of them made sounds higher than 115 dBs.
According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, at 110 dB, maximum undamaging exposure time is one minute and 29 seconds.
NOTE: In researching this article I found a variety of decibels, as well as length of exposure before damage and also read studies saying that individuals varied in their tolerance for noises. The data is not consistent, but will give you a range. Should you be wondering what protection to take when, ask your personal healthcare professional for medical advice.
PERMANENT INSTANT DAMAGE
The ear is more unforgiving than you may know. A loud enough noise can cause instant, permanent damage, some noises can cause damage if heard long enough, and there is also cumulative effect over time. Prevention is crucial because noise-induced hearing loss can’t be corrected, and hearing aids don’t do much good.
Sound is vibration and has three properties: intensity, frequency and duration. “Intensity” is what is measured in decibels (dBs). A measure called dBA indicates damage to hearing. The higher dBA number, greater risk of damage to hearing. This is because intensity translates to pressure on eardrum.
What sound has what dBs? There is a long list of dBs (which they equate with dBAs) on League for Hard of Hearing website ( http://www.lhh.org/noise/decibel.htm ), including various recreational and work situations. A noisy squeeze toy rates an alarming 135dB from them.
“Noise levels above 85 dB will harm hearing over time,” they caution, and “noise levels above 140dB can cause damage to hearing after just one exposure.” 140dB is also pain threshold; most of us hearing a sound at this level will feel it as well. All values are approximate.
According to www.dangerousdecibels.org , harm can occur with 103 dBs after 7.5 minutes, 106 dBs after less than 4 minutes, 109 dBs after less than 2 minutes, and 115 dBs after around 30 seconds.
