Damage from Apartment Maintenance?

[MilesD]

I need your opinions on the following situation:

The plumber was in our apartment and stupidly I did not leave the apartment while he worked in our bathroom. I am to blame because I knew there was a risk that it might get loud.

The plumber hit hard on our metal faucet with a hammer in different spurts of about 30 seconds for about 2 minutes in total. Something was stuck and he had to hit hard.

I was not in the bathroom where he worked but 5 meters away two rooms away with the normal wooden door of the barhroom being closed all the while. After the first two or three hits I used my muffs (Peltor x2a) but was in panic and forgot to take my glasses off so they were not sitting properly while I waited for it to end. I was also stupid not to push the muffs on the ears with my hands.

Even with the muffs not properly on I could clearly hear the hammering. And the first few hits I did not have muffs on. I am so worried right now.

Can you please please tell me if you think this has the potential to cause damage and if I need to do something right now?

I am devastated that I did not leave. This was somehow predictable and my fault.

 

[another sean]

My guess is you will be ok since your tinnitus was not caused by acoustic trauma and onset was 9 years ago so its not in the early more sensitive stages. I had plenty encounters from construction in the unit next to me and recovered from all the spikes.

 

[MilesD]

Thank you!

You are right about the onset but it got worse and I have had problems the past few months. So at this stage it is in a period where my ears are sensitive I guess unfortunately.

This was so unnecessary and the muffs were much too loose. I am crying and kicking myself.

Do you think I should do something now?

 

[Jason37]

Extremely unlikely to cause a spike or any sort of damage.

 

[MilesD]

Thank you Jason!

Unfortunately I struggle with a bad spike now with veryloud ears and problems in both ears. I was very anxious and now try to calm down but it hasnt changed anything.

Threads say we look at 120-140db or something. And 15 ft is not far enough.

In my head I keep revisiting the situation thinking what i could have done differently. Why why did I not leave? If I end up with sth permanent from this situation I am never going to forgive myself.

 

[Jack Straw]

I need your opinions on the following situation:

The plumber was in our apartment and stupidly I did not leave the apartment while he worked in our bathroom. I am to blame because I knew there was a risk that it might get loud.

The plumber hit hard on our metal faucet with a hammer in different spurts of about 30 seconds for about 2 minutes in total. Something was stuck and he had to hit hard.

I was not in the bathroom where he worked but 5 meters away two rooms away with the normal wooden door of the barhroom being closed all the while. After the first two or three hits I used my muffs (Peltor x2a) but was in panic and forgot to take my glasses off so they were not sitting properly while I waited for it to end. I was also stupid not to push the muffs on the ears with my hands.

Even with the muffs not properly on I could clearly hear the hammering. And the first few hits I did not have muffs on. I am so worried right now.

Can you please please tell me if you think this has the potential to cause damage and if I need to do something right now?

I am devastated that I did not leave. This was somehow predictable and my fault.

Please try to stay relaxed!

You were wearing ear muffs even if they weren't properly being worn so they still did provide some protection. Just because you can still hear a sound while wearing hearing protection doesn't mean it is dangerous as long as it is not excessively loud.

 

[dpdx]

relax you are fine

 

[MilesD]

I was doing better the past weeks but now I hear both ears ringing all the time. It's so loud.

I am so upset.

I have read many different measures for hammer hitting hard surfaces: Is 140-150db really the case? Other sources state 100-120 db for close range. Sometimes the lower value refers to hitting nails. Here it was a hard object made of metal.

 

[glynis]

@MilesD ,
You should be fine so please try relax as stress and worry will ramp up your tinnitus.
It could be the cold windy weather causing it.
love glynis

 

[another sean]

And 15 ft is not far enough.

but also remember you were in another room and there are walls in-between that block sound plus furniture and maybe carpet that absorbed further sound. if you really feel there is no change after 2-3 days you could always consider taking steroids if you have handled them well in the past. I know my air conditioner is about 60 decibels up close but one room away its cuts down to 35 decibels. you were too rooms away. that should really cut down the actual sound pressure. hitting a pipe can sound pretty loud at any distance but actually sound pressure damaging your hearing seems unlikely and just cause a obvious spike. you could always test the situation by having someone yell or clap their hands in the bathroom and you can use a sound meter app to see the difference in decibels from being two rooms away as opposed to being next to them.

 

[Telis]

Can you please please tell me if you think this has the potential to cause damage and if I need to do something right now?

Wouldn't you know if you were injured ? How the f//k would people here know ? This site is filled with wack jobs, tough to take it seriously anymore. Here's a hint, if you are injured, you will know it.

 

[MilesD]

If you cannot take my question seriously then why bother to reply at all? I know I'm a wack job because I am really scared.

What do you mean by injured? I was injured because my ears are the worst they have been the last weeks and months. My question was about the potential for permanent damage. I am worried it might be permanent and I need opinions on the harmfulness of the sound.

This mightbe funny to you and others. It isn't to me, believe me.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Thank you Jason!

Unfortunately I struggle with a bad spike now with veryloud ears and problems in both ears. I was very anxious and now try to calm down but it hasnt changed anything.

Threads say we look at 120-140db or something. And 15 ft is not far enough.

In my head I keep revisiting the situation thinking what i could have done differently. Why why did I not leave? If I end up with sth permanent from this situation I am never going to forgive myself.

Consider taking nicotinamide riboside which has been shown to be otoprotective even after an incident.

 

[Telis]

If you cannot take my question seriously then why bother to reply at all? I know I'm a wack job because I am really scared.

What do you mean by injured? I was injured because my ears are the worst they have been the last weeks and months. My question was about the potential for permanent damage. I am worried it might be permanent and I need opinions on the harmfulness of the sound.

This mightbe funny to you and others. It isn't to me, believe me.

It's a joke, get a life. You are two rooms away with muffs on, you have a mental disorder, not tinnitus