| 5.2 million 6-19 year old have hearing loss | | | | |
| directly related to noise exposure*. Don't | | | | ·80 alarm clock |
| let your child be part of this unfortunate | | | | |
| group. | | | | ·85 noisy restaurant |
| | | | |
| PEACE & QUIET | | | | ·90 city traffic |
| | | | |
| "Offer your child peace and quiet," says the | | | | ·110-120 rock concert, speedboat, |
| Noise Center. "Noise poses a serious threat | | | | headphones on maximum |
| to children's hearing, health, learning and | | | | |
| behavior." (And I can't think of an adult who | | | | ·110 shouting in ear, baby crying, many |
| functions well in a noisy environment | | | | power tools |
| either.) "Peace" and "quiet" usually go | | | | |
| together because without "quiet" there can be | | | | ·120 thunder, jet takeoff at 200' |
| no "peace." | | | | |
| | | | ·130-140 firecracker, gunshot, powerful |
| Aside from turning down the TV and stereo, | | | | car speakers |
| lowering your voice, and providing the | | | | |
| opportunity for quiet time in both their work | | | | ·180 rocket launching |
| and leisure, take a look at the toys you | | | | |
| allow your children to play with. | | | | According to the Noise Center, musical toys |
| | | | measure over 110 decibels, comparable to many |
| Fortunately my children didn't suffer hearing | | | | power tools. |
| loss from the obnoxiously loud toys they | | | | |
| played with, but I must admit I told them to | | | | TEENS |
| quit for my sake, not theirs, and I was | | | | |
| always standing a good bit father away from | | | | With your teenagers, pay special attention. |
| their toy than they were. One father I know | | | | So many of the things they love are not |
| immediately disarms any noise-making function | | | | advisable: |
| on a toy his child receives, and this may not | | | | |
| be a bad idea. | | | | Clubs and discos, 91 - 96 dBA + |
| | | | |
| And because they're young doesn't work in | | | | Dance floor, 85 - 100 dBA |
| this case. You might assume, for instance, | | | | |
| that your teenager can take that 85 decibels | | | | At the bar, 90 dBA or more |
| (dB) music because he's a teenager, but that | | | | |
| isn't the case. Children's ear canals are | | | | Personal stereo systems. 60 - 114 dBA |
| shorter than adults, and therefore more | | | | |
| vulnerable to damage in this way. | | | | Rock concerts, 100 dBA or more average |
| | | | |
| A study conducted by the Henry Ford Health | | | | Car stereos, up to 154 dBA in the car!! |
| System found that many current toys, | | | | |
| including tape recorders, bike horns, cap | | | | Home stereo, 80 - 115 dBA |
| guns, and toy telephones, are not safe for | | | | |
| your child's hearing. Of the 25 they tested, | | | | If you take your kids hunting or to the |
| more than half of them made sounds higher | | | | shooting range, take the hearing protectors |
| than 115 dBs. | | | | along. Firearms are all high and a single |
| | | | exposure can cause permanent hearing loss. |
| According to The National Institute for | | | | Examples, 12-guage shotgun, 150-165 dB, |
| Occupational Safety and Health, at 110 dB, | | | | shotgun, 163-172 dB, rifle, 143-170 dB. Most |
| the maximum undamaging exposure time is one | | | | firearms start at 100 dB and can go as high |
| minute and 29 seconds. | | | | as 190 Db. |
| | | | |
| NOTE: In researching this article I found a | | | | You may also assign your older child or |
| variety of decibels, as well as length of | | | | teenage chores involving power tools which |
| exposure before damage and also read studies | | | | require supervision for safety, including |
| saying that individuals varied in their | | | | hearing safety. |
| tolerance for noises. The data is not | | | | |
| consistent, but will give you a range. Should | | | | Also note than a firecracker can cause |
| you be wondering what protection to take | | | | immediate damage. |
| when, ask your personal healthcare | | | | |
| professional for medical advice. | | | | RECREATION |
| | | | |
| PERMANENT INSTANT DAMAGE | | | | Two other things children and teens like |
| | | | should be monitored. Noise levels at video |
| The ear is more unforgiving than you may | | | | arcades can exceed 100 decibels (similar to |
| know. A loud enough noise can cause instant, | | | | factory machinery), and computer games and |
| permanent damage, some noises can cause | | | | stereo systems can go as high as 135 dB (the |
| damage if heard long enough, and there is | | | | level of a jackhammer), with car stereos |
| also cumulative effect over time. Prevention | | | | reaching up to 154 dB, and an action movie is |
| is crucial because noise-induced hearing loss | | | | generally beyond 90 dB. |
| can't be corrected, and hearing aids don't do | | | | |
| much good. | | | | No one knows exactly what level damages a |
| | | | child's ears, but the Noise Center's Rule of |
| Sound is vibration and has three properties: | | | | Thumb is: IF YOU HAVE TO SHOUT TO BE HEARD |
| intensity, frequency and duration. | | | | THREE FEET AWAY, THE NOISE IS TOO LOUD AND IS |
| "Intensity" is what is measured in decibels | | | | DAMAGING TO YOUR HEARING. |
| (dBs). A measure called dBA indicates damage | | | | |
| to hearing. The higher the dBA number, the | | | | Don't let your child become a statistic. |
| greater the risk of damage to hearing. This | | | | According to Dangerous Decibels, |
| is because intensity translates to pressure | | | | approximately 30 million Americans have |
| on the eardrum. | | | | hearing loss, and 50 million have tinnitus, |
| | | | an early indicator. According to a study done |
| What sound has what dBs? There is a long list | | | | by Montgomery and Fujukawa in 1992, "Over the |
| of dBs (which they equate with dBAs) on the | | | | last 10 years, the percentage of 2nd graders |
| League for the Hard of Hearing website ( ), | | | | with hearing loss has increased 2.8 times; |
| including various recreational and work | | | | hearing loss in 8th graders has increased |
| situations. A noisy squeeze toy rates an | | | | over 4 times." |
| alarming 135dB from them. | | | | |
| | | | Check with your child's pediatrician for |
| "Noise levels above 85 dB will harm hearing | | | | specific information. This is not medical |
| over time," they caution, and "noise levels | | | | advice. |
| above 140dB can cause damage to hearing after | | | | |
| just one exposure." 140dB is also the pain | | | | *According to the 3rd National Health and |
| threshold; most of us hearing a sound at this | | | | Nutrition Examination Survey [Niskar, 2000]. |
| level will feel it as well. All values are | | | | Reported on DangerousDecibels. |
| approximate. | | | | |
| | | | WHAT CAN YOU DO? |
| According to , harm can occur with 103 dBs | | | | |
| after 7.5 minutes, 106 dBs after less than 4 | | | | 1.Educate yourself about noise levels |
| minutes, 109 dBs after less than 2 minutes, | | | | |
| and 115 dBs after around 30 seconds. | | | | 2.Provide your child with peace and quiet |
| | | | |
| Here is a list of sounds and the decibels to | | | | 3.Make it clear you value peace and quiet |
| give you an idea: | | | | |
| | | | 4.Counteract that "loud is cool" |
| ·0 The softest sound a person can hear | | | | |
| with normal hearing aka "hearing threshold" | | | | 5.Ask your local theater to lower decibel |
| | | | levels |
| ·10 normal breathing | | | | |
| | | | 6.Provide ear protection |
| ·20 whispering at 5 feet, broadcasting | | | | |
| studio, rustling leaves | | | | 7.Model good hearing protection |
| | | | |
| ·30 soft whisper, library | | | | 8.Include instruction the same way you do |
| | | | when you tell them brushing their teeth twice |
| ·50 rainfall, light traffic, average home | | | | a day prevents tooth decay |
| | | | |
| ·60 normal conversation, air conditioning | | | | 9. |
| unit | | | | |