MemberA new article in the New York Times dated 21 May 2020 on the importance of duration of noise for risks of hearing damage and developments of auditory conditions such as hyperacusis.
A few excerpts:
Treating 85 decibels as a safe level makes no sense at all," said Rick Neitzel, Ph.D., an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan.
"Exposure is not just intensity — it is also how long it lasts and how frequently it occurs," he said. "Ignoring the time is missing the point. This 85-decibel number has achieved mythical status not because it is safe but because it is one of the few ways that occupational noise is regulated."
An unknown factor is individual susceptibility. It's impossible to predict whose ears are tough and whose are tender.
"The same noise dose has no apparent impact on some and a life-altering impact on others," said Bryan Pollard, president of the nonprofit Hyperacusis Research, which funds research about noise-induced pain.
Link to full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/parenting/children-headphones-hearing-loss.html
A few excerpts:
Treating 85 decibels as a safe level makes no sense at all," said Rick Neitzel, Ph.D., an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan.
"Exposure is not just intensity — it is also how long it lasts and how frequently it occurs," he said. "Ignoring the time is missing the point. This 85-decibel number has achieved mythical status not because it is safe but because it is one of the few ways that occupational noise is regulated."
An unknown factor is individual susceptibility. It's impossible to predict whose ears are tough and whose are tender.
"The same noise dose has no apparent impact on some and a life-altering impact on others," said Bryan Pollard, president of the nonprofit Hyperacusis Research, which funds research about noise-induced pain.
Link to full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/parenting/children-headphones-hearing-loss.html
