Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Hearing damage can already begin at a continuous stress level of 85 dB. If you listen to loud music at a concert or through your MP3-player, for example, afterwards you may feel that you can not hear as well as normally. This occurs because the fine hair cells of your hearing organ are temporary damaged. After a time of quiet, they recover. This is called a Tempory Threshold Shift, TTS.

However, if you repeatedly subject yourself, over longer periods of time, to extreme noise stress, these fine hair cells will become severely damaged with no chance of regeneration. This is called a Permanent Threshold Shift, PTS.

Listening to loud music at concerts, discos or through headsets can be especially dangerous. The sound intensities through headsets, for instance, can easily reach 110-120 dB.

People in job related situations are particularly at risk. Construction workers, factory workers, airport-tarmac workers and musicians should wear hearing protection.

Noise stress can also cause tinnitus, ringing of the ears. Tinnitus is one-sided or two-sided noises, which occur in very different forms and sound levels.

A sudden loud explosive sound like a firecracker can cause the same hearing damage.

What can you do?

The only reasonable alternative is prevention, so wear hearing protection! There many possibilities from commercially available earplugs and ear muffs to individually fitted ear fittings with different filter systems.

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