Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Its Prevention (cont.)Medical Author:
James K. Bredenkamp, MD, FACS
James K. Bredenkamp, MD, FACSDr. Bredenkamp recieved his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He then went on to serve a six year residency at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine in the department of Surgery. Medical Author:
Frederick B Gaupp, MD
Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MDMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. In this Article
How can a person tell if a noisy situation is dangerous to their hearing?People may differ in their sensitivity to noise. Nevertheless, as a general rule, noise is probably damaging to the hearing if the noise:
In contrast to popular belief, there is no truth to the idea that a person is able to "toughen up" the ears by frequent exposure to loud noise. In reality, cumulative noise in the past has probably damaged the ears to such a degree that a person doesn't hear the noise as much. Unfortunately, no treatment is available for noise-induced hearing loss once the damage has occurred. How loud can a sound get before it affects hearing?Many experts agree that continual exposure to more than 85 decibels (dB) is dangerous to the ears. As already mentioned, the decibel is a measure of the intensity of sound. For example:
Decibels are measured logarithmically, which means that the sound energy of noise increases by units of 10. Therefore, a dB increase of a sound from 20 to 30 dB is an increase of 10 times, and a dB increase of a sound from 20 to 40 dB corresponds to increase of 100 times (10 times 10). Patient CommentsViewers share their comments
Noise Induced Hearing Loss - Identifying
Question: Describe your symptoms of noise-induced hearing loss, or those in a friend or family member.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss - Exposure
Question: Do you wear a hearing protection device for your job? Relate your experience.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss - Treatment
Question: What treatment have you, a friend, or family member received for noise-induced hearing loss?
Noise Induced Hearing Loss - Communication
Question: If you wear hearing protectors, how do you communicate with others?
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