Some common causes of hearing loss:

• Chronic ear infections
• Acoustic trauma
• Occupation hearing loss
• Ruptured ear drum
• Hear injury
• Inherited conditions
• Disease of the inner ear

Sounds above 90 decibels (dB) if prolonged may cause inner ear damage.

85–90 dB       motorcycle, snowmobile and other similar engines

80–120 dB     loud music, some rock concerts

*A sound's intensity is measured in decibel (dB) levels.  Decibels are not precise units of measurement like feet or yards, but rather a scale of progression.  Every increase of 10 dB is significant - it's not an additional 10 units but rather 10 times the original decibel level.

Any sound that's loud enough to hurt your ears can destroy hair cells and lead to permanent hearing loss, noises such as leaf blowers, lawn mowers, wood chippers, chain saws, snowblowers, and some household appliances like vacuum cleaners and blow dryers.

Wear protective ear plugs or earmuffs.

Age Related Hearing Loss

There is no cure.  Treatment is focused on improvement.  Age related hearing loss is progressive and appears to be genetic and runs in families. It affects 1 in 3 people older than 60.  It is not medically dangerous but leads to increase difficulty with communication, social isolation, inability to hear alarms and respond to warnings…Hearing aids, which provide amplification, may help.

Call for an appointment with you health care provider.  A physical exam may show wax build up that can be a contributing factor, if unrevealing other test may be needed.

Occupational/Acoustic Trauma

• Damage to the inner ear from noise or vibration.
• Hearing loss may not be correctable
• Loss may be progressive if measures to prevent further damage are not taken.

Rule of Thumb – if you need to shout to be heard the sound is in the range that can damage hearing.

*Keep it down

When listening to your stereo keep the volume at a reasonable level.  don't turn it up to drown out room noises.  If you use earbuds, consider switching to headphones that muffle outside noise.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration states that workers should not be exposed to constant noise above 90dB for longer than eight hours.  Companies exceeding this standard are required by law to have hearing-conservation programs.

*Harvard Medical School HEALTHbeat, 12/14/10 "Hearing Loss:  a guide to prevention & treatment"; Harvard Medical School Special Health Report

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