by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
It’s not surprising that hearing loss is an occupational health hazard for musicians, as highlighted in this recent report. After all, noise causes hearing loss. It doesn’t matter if the noise is from machinery in a factory, from a jet engine on the tarmac, or from loudspeakers at a rock concert. Whatever the source, the effect is the same.
And the type of music doesn’t matter, either, as noise-induced hearing loss is a problem for classical musicians, too.
The bottom line is this: hearing is precious. If hearing music is important to you–or hearing children or grandchildren speak, birds sing, whatever it is–protect your hearing.
How can you protect yourself? It’s easy. The auditory injury threshold is only 75-to-78 A-weighted decibels. That’s about the level at which ambient noise makes conversation difficult. If you are having a hard time having a conversation because of the ambient noise around you, it’s too loud. And if something sounds too loud, it IS too loud! Turn down the volume, leave the noisy place, always carry earplugs with you, and use them!
