Subject: Re: [AUDITORY] How to speak to people about hearing loss and high sound pressure levels From: James Johnston <audioskeptic@xxxxxxxx> Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 23:39:07 -0700 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>--047d7bd6ae8cbf545504e8999ba6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 You ask a very important question, but one that's hard to answer substantively. I try to put a pitch for hearing preservation in every tutorial and/or talk I do. I'm not sure how well it works. On Sat, Oct 12, 2013 at 10:09 PM, Kevin Austin <kevin.austin@xxxxxxxx>wrote: > An on-going topic -- very high level [dB] sounds, hearing loss, personal > and societal responsibility. > > Once or twice a year I am invited and go to an event where the sustained > sound pressure [dB] levels will be in excess of 95dB, and often into the > 105 - 110+ dB range. I am usually long gone before the levels have drifted > up to this point, however they usually start in the 85-90dB range. I use a > combination of Vaseline [petroleum jelly], and water- [spit-] soaked paper > tissues / Kleenex, to seal my ear canals. At the last two events I left, > about 20% of the people were babies or children under 7-9. They were > brought close to the speaker stacks, and the younger children enjoyed > playing in front of the speakers. > > My question is not one about NIHL etc, which is documented, but rather one > of how to speak to the people responsible, before and/or after the event > about the damage that is being caused by these environments. If this were a > work place, there would be laws, rules, regulations and ways of changing > the behavior. In these social environments, rules and regulations don't > apply. And I'm talking 3 or more hours of continuous 105+dB. > > There are currently two students in our university electroacoustic studies > program who have reported their hearing condition to me in some detail, > along with audiograms, and possible hyperacusis. Discussing this with many > younger people tends towards the "teenage invincibility syndrome" [will > never happen to me], and in older people, there is a general ignorance or > lack of understanding, often paired with an attitude that indicates, "if it > really is a problem, there would be laws about it". There are. But, in my > experience, there is a fundamental ignorance of what happens, and what has > been happening for the past 35 - 40 years. > > As the professionals in the field, what can be done? and how can it be > done? Is it a matter of this "silent plague", simply eating up the hearing > of those who are under 40 such that they will not be able to hear in 15 - > 25 years. > > Recently, this appeared: > > Thu, 09/12/2013 > >> Blake Wilson, Graeme Clark, and Ingeborg Hochmair were awarded the > Lasker Award this week for their contributions to the development of the > cochlear implant. The Lasker Award is essentially the American Nobel prize, > and this is an incredible recognition of not only the importance of > cochlear implant technology but also a much broader acknowledgment of the > importance of hearing and communication by the entire scientific community. > There will be several events over the next few months building on this > recognition with interviews with the Lasker awardees, a dedicated one-hour > show on PBS with Charlie Rose and Eric Kandel on hearing, and finally a > two-day workshop sponsored by the Institute of Medicine on hearing loss in > older adults in January. > > It is noted that this seems to be mostly about cochlea-based hearing loss > in older adults. > > > Other items on stem cell research growing back hair cells have been seen > in the media. However, these reports do not address a major cause of the > problem, exposure to high dB levels. As I understand it, this developing > technology may have little effect on tinnitus caused by nerve damage. > > Are there ways to have the media take cognizance of and report on the > dangerous environments which persist? > > As professionals, is there any individual or group responsibility > regarding making this better known and the [likely] consequences more > clearly understood? Is this like the cigarette situation where the 'evil' > is not only socially acceptable, but expected so that the event has 'street > cred'? Club owners and Rave organizers want blood-letting levels, "because > the customers want it". > > > Kevin > -- James D. (jj) Johnston Independent Audio and Electroacoustics Consultant --047d7bd6ae8cbf545504e8999ba6 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>You ask a very important question, but one that's= hard to answer substantively. I try to put a pitch for hearing preservatio= n in every tutorial and/or talk I do. I'm not sure how well it works.</= div> <div>=A0</div><div>=A0</div></div><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><br><div c= lass=3D"gmail_quote">On Sat, Oct 12, 2013 at 10:09 PM, Kevin Austin <span d= ir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:kevin.austin@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_blan= k">kevin.austin@xxxxxxxx</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p= x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">An on-going topic -- very high level [dB] so= unds, hearing loss, personal and societal responsibility.<br> <br> Once or twice a year I am invited and go to an event where the sustained so= und pressure [dB] levels will be in excess of 95dB, and often into the 105 = - 110+ dB range. I am usually long gone before the levels have drifted up t= o this point, however they usually start in the 85-90dB range. I use a comb= ination of Vaseline [petroleum jelly], and water- [spit-] soaked paper tiss= ues / Kleenex, to seal my ear canals. At the last two events I left, about = 20% of the people were babies or children under 7-9. They were brought clos= e to the speaker stacks, and the younger children enjoyed playing in front = of the speakers.<br> <br> My question is not one about NIHL etc, which is documented, but rather one = of how to speak to the people responsible, before and/or after the event ab= out the damage that is being caused by these environments. If this were a w= ork place, there would be laws, rules, regulations and ways of changing the= behavior. In these social environments, rules and regulations don't ap= ply. And I'm talking 3 or more hours of continuous 105+dB.<br> <br> There are currently two students in our university electroacoustic studies = program who have reported their hearing condition to me in some detail, alo= ng with audiograms, and possible hyperacusis. Discussing this with many you= nger people tends towards the "teenage invincibility syndrome" [w= ill never happen to me], and in older people, there is a general ignorance = or lack of understanding, often paired with an attitude that indicates, &qu= ot;if it really is a problem, there would be laws about it". There are= . But, in my experience, there is a fundamental ignorance of what happens, = and what has been happening for the past 35 - 40 years.<br> <br> As the professionals in the field, what can be done? and how can it be done= ? Is it a matter of this "silent plague", simply eating up the he= aring of those who are under 40 such that they will not be able to hear in = 15 - 25 years.<br> <br> Recently, this appeared:<br> <br> Thu, 09/12/2013<br> >> Blake Wilson, Graeme Clark, and Ingeborg Hochmair were awarded the= Lasker Award this week for their contributions to the development of the c= ochlear implant. The Lasker Award is essentially the American Nobel prize, = and =A0this is an incredible recognition of not only the importance of coch= lear implant technology but also a much broader acknowledgment of the impor= tance of hearing and communication by the entire scientific community. Ther= e will be several events over the next few months building on this recognit= ion with interviews with the Lasker awardees, a dedicated one-hour show on = PBS with Charlie Rose and Eric Kandel on hearing, and finally a two-day wor= kshop sponsored by the Institute of Medicine on hearing loss in older adult= s in January.<br> <br> It is noted that this seems to be mostly about cochlea-based hearing loss i= n older adults.<br> <br> <br> Other items on stem cell research growing back hair cells have been seen in= the media. However, these reports do not address a major cause of the prob= lem, exposure to high dB levels. As I understand it, this developing techno= logy may have little effect on tinnitus caused by nerve damage.<br> <br> Are there ways to have the media take cognizance of and report on the dange= rous environments which persist?<br> <br> As professionals, is there any individual or group responsibility regarding= making this better known and the [likely] consequences more clearly unders= tood? Is this like the cigarette situation where the 'evil' is not = only socially acceptable, but expected so that the event has 'street cr= ed'? Club owners and Rave organizers want blood-letting levels, "b= ecause the customers want it".<br> <span class=3D"HOEnZb"><font color=3D"#888888"><br> <br> Kevin<br> </font></span></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br><div>Jame= s D. (jj) Johnston</div><div>Independent Audio and Electroacoustics Consult= ant</div> </div> --047d7bd6ae8cbf545504e8999ba6--