Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent but preventable

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Gary Barnes

The statement in the title is accurate. Noise damages and eventually destroys delicate hair cells in the cochlea in the inner ear, leading to hearing loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that noise-induced hearing loss is the only type of hearing loss that is entirely preventable.

We usually think of noise as an urban problem, but noise exposure also happens in rural farming communities. That’s why the Henry County Enterprise, in southwestern Virginia, recently published an article with the same title as this blog post.

The article quotes AgriSafe Network health coach Charlotte Halverson, who now lives with ringing and chirping in her ears. AgriSafe is a national nonprofit organization that teaches health professionals, farmers and ranchers about health and safety topics.

“I grew up on a farm and we never thought about hearing protection. We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” Halverson said.

However, the article mistakenly reports that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines any noise level of 85 decibels or greater as dangerous. That’s incorrect. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends an occupational noise exposure level of 85 A-weighted* decibels (dBA). The time limits for occupational exposures of all types are 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year for 40 years.

Noise is different from other occupational exposures like ionizing radiation or toxic solvents because all people are exposed to noise, all day every day, from birth to death with life expectancy approaching 80 years in the United States. Most importantly, occupational exposure standards are inappropriate and unsafe for the general public. This is true for noise exposure, too.

Unfortunately, Halverson isn’t alone in not having known that noise damages hearing. I don’t think most people know that noise causes permanent hearing loss. Avoiding noise-induced hearing loss is simple and inexpensive. If something sounds loud, it’s too loud and one’s auditory health is at risk. Turn down the volume, leave the noisy environment or use hearing protection and one’s ears should last a lifetime.

*A-weighting adjusts unweighted noise measurements to approximate the frequencies heard in human speech.