Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Fall 2006)

Loud and clear: The blare of music, the screech of power tools or the blast of a firearm all can damage your hearing. That’s the message that parents and children need to hear – and heed, experts say.

Yet, that damage in children might not be detected for years. That’s because although hearing damage can occur immediately following trauma such as an explosion, it also can build over time through chronic exposure to excessive noise. In the latter, hearing loss is gradual, painless and permanent.          

“We don’t always learn about this type of hearing loss through diagnosis till decades later,” says William Lentz, Ph.D., a Fort Collins audiologist who now knows he, too, has some hearing loss, likely from operating noisy farm machinery as a child without hearing protection. 

Whether sound is harmful to hearing depends on its loudness, the length of time you are ex-posed and the distance you are from the sound source.

MP3 players like Apple’s iPod have come under fire lately because users can pump up the volume through earbuds, or headphones that fit directly into the ear canal. Unlike the sound distortion that comes with blasting home stereo speakers, new technology in MP3 players lets users crank up music to 120 decibels, comparable to the sound of a jet plane at takeoff, without sacrificing quality. Still, the popular devices aren’t inherently dangerous, many experts say.

“It’s not an MP3 issue,” says Deanna Meinke, Ph.D., assistant professor of audiology at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. “It’s about teaching good listening habits.”

Today, a child’s hearing is screened at various grade levels in school, making it easier to identify hearing loss early. Meinke cautions that children older than 9th grade, an age where participation in noisy activities often increases, are not always included in screenings at school. Not all hearing problems are noise-related; ear infections are a common source. Hearing loss may also be caused by disease, medication, ear trauma and, in adults, aging.

One mother’s first clue that her 10-year-old might have a problem came when the school notified her of his hearing test results. When her son began complaining about not being able to hear, she took him to an audiologist. Tests showed that in his right ear the boy struggled to hear high-frequency sounds, such as the difference between “tan” and “pan.” Speech clarity, not volume, suffers with high-frequency hearing loss, which is often associated with noise damage.

In talking with the family, Cheryl Hadlock, an audiologist at All About Hearing, learned that the boy often accompanied his father to the shooting range where neither wore hearing protection. Being around exploding fireworks may have made matters worse.

“His amount of hearing loss is what I might see in a 40-year-old,” Hadlock says. “There are no medications or surgical options for treating him.”

For now, Hadlock recommends that the 10-year-old wear earmuffs when he’s around loud noise and that he sit to the front of the classroom so he can hear better. She’ll continue to monitor his hearing and suggest other changes as needed.

Nearly 10 million Americans (and an estimated 12.5 percent of children ages 6-19) have hearing loss that can be attributed, at least in part, to noise. Noise can take many forms, from loud music to activities like target shooting or snowmobiling to noisy appliances like shop vacuums or gas lawn mowers.

If you’ve ever been to a rock concert, you might have come home with a buzzing sound in your ears or a feeling that sound is muffled. That’s the result of damage to tiny hair cells, or sound receptors, in the cochlea. If your symptoms go away in a day or two, you probably have what is called temporary hearing loss. With minimal damage, the hairs can rebuild over 48 hours. When damage is severe, the hair cells die, resulting in permanent hearing loss.

Constant buzzing or ringing in your ears or trouble understanding people (see list below) are signs to see your doctor and ask about a hearing test. If hearing loss is found, your provider may suggest hearing aids as well as options for protecting your ears.

Exposure to sounds above 80 decibels (see chart) for extended periods of time increases your risk of hearing loss, experts say. That’s why it’s always good to keep earplugs handy should you come across noise you can’t control, Hadlock says.

Figuring out if the volume level on your child’s MP3 player is too high is easy. “If you can hear the music (coming from the headset), it’s too loud,” she says.

Other experts put a safe listening level for an MP3 player at no more than 60 percent of its maximum volume for an hour of listening. Taking a listening break helps, too, Lentz says.

Amid all the grim news about hearing damage from noise, one bit of information is hopeful: Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. As Meinke puts it, your options are clear: turn it down, walk away from the noise or wear hearing protection.

Maybe some day, she says, earplugs and earmuffs will go the way of seat belts and bike helmets: people wouldn’t think of going without.

Ten Ways to Recognize Hearing Loss

• Do you have problems hearing over the phone?

• Do you have trouble following the conversation when two or more people are talking at once?

• Do people complain that you turn up the volume too high on the TV?

• Do you have to strain to understand conversation?

• Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background?

• Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?

• Do many people you talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?

• Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?

• Do you have trouble understanding women and children when they speak?

• Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?

If you answered “yes” to three or more questions, you may want to see an audiologist or otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) for a hearing evaluation. To find a provider in the Fort Collins area, visit HealthInfoSource.com.

Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders