Hearing Protection for Young Children
A baby's hearing is at greater risk because a young baby's ear canal is naturally smaller. That smaller ear canal size means that when sound enters the ear, the pressure is higher. As a result, a baby gets a higher level of sound than an older child or adult when listening to the same sound. This is especially true for the higher sound frequencies. (Therefore, overamplification is more dangerous for babies when hearing aids are fitted.)
Aside from protecting a child from the obvious loud noises in her environment, you may also want to take a closer look at her playthings.
Every year, the Sight and Hearing Association tests selected noise-making toys to see how loud they are. An PDF that lists noisy toys is posted annually. According to the Association, the longest anyone can be exposed to 90 decibels of sound is eight hours. At 95 decibels, the maximum exposure time is only 4 hours, and so on.
Unfortunately, there are no federal regulations on noise level limits for toys. The Sight and Hearing Association has found toys that exceed 100 decibels. According to their annual news release on noisy toys, young children are at even greater risk because they tend to hold toys closer to their ears. The annual news release also states that ASTM International has a voluntary standard that says hand-held, table-top, and crib toys should not be louder than 90 decibels ten inches from the toy's surface.
Parents should listen to a toy before buying it. If the toy is noisy, tape over the speaker part to muffle the sound. A concerned parent should monitor a child's time with a noisy toy, and be prepared to "disable" the toy by turning off the sound or even removing the batteries.
Hearing Protection for Older Children and Teens
Older children and teenagers are at risk for hearing loss because typical teen activities can expose them to loud sounds. Listening to loud music and stereos has long been a risk factor. A teenager going to a loud concert or movie should bring along hearing protection devices, such as earplugs. Earphones and earbuds are available to protect the hearing of teens, as reported in iPods and Hearing Loss.Hearing Protection for Adults
For adults, one of the most common causes of hearing loss is environmental noise. Adults can be exposed to unsafe noise levels on the job. Jobs that carry this risk of occupational noise exposure include activities such as lawn mowing. The Federal government and nonprofits have published several booklets on occupational/industrial noise control such as:- Noise Control A guide for workers and employers (from NoNoise.org)
- Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss (from the CDC)
- Industrial Noise Control Manual (from the CDC)
Hearing Protection Products
The National Hearing Conservation Association maintains a database of service providers. Select "Hearing protective devices vendor" in the list of services provided. Examples of companies that make these products are Westone, Starkey, and Precision Laboratories.Even a private home can have problems with noise. Companies offer products for home noise control. For example, the Owens Corning company manufactures several residential noise control products. E.g., products to absorb sound vibrations within the walls.
So whether you are a parent, an employee, or just concerned about the noise in your home, there are ways to protect your hearing.
Sources:
Scollie, Susan, Ph.D., and Marlene Bagatto, Au.D "Fitting Hearing Aids to Babies: Three Things You Should Know - 2010 Update." http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=2345. Accessed November 2010.
