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(ROCKVILLE, MD-May 5, 2003) Although summer is a time for fun with friends and for family celebrations, many summertime activities can endanger your hearing health. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) warns that exposure to extremely loud noises, such as fireworks, rock concerts, power boating, and other loud recreational and household activities can permanently damage hearing.
Knowing what noises can damage hearing is important. Permanent hearing loss can occur from prolonged or repeated exposure to sounds at 85 decibels or above, including some rock concerts, jet engines, lawn mowers, motorcycles, chainsaws, powerboats, and personal stereos.
Twenty-eight million Americans have a hearing loss, according to ASHA. Nearly half are the result of damage from excessive noise. You know that noise is hazardous when
- You have to raise your voice to be heard
- You can’t hear someone less than two feet away from you
- Speech around you sounds muffled or dull after leaving a noisy environment
- You have pain or ringing in your ears after exposure to noise
"Exposure to even a single impulse noise, such as a gunshot blast, can cause instantaneous hearing loss or tinnitus in one or both ears," said Glenda Ochsner, ASHA president. "We advise individuals who are concerned about their hearing because they are frequently exposed to loud noises to consult an ASHA-certified audiologist immediately."
Audiologists are hearing health care professionals who specialize in preventing, identifying, and assessing hearing disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment including hearing aids and other assistive listening devices.
For a referral to an audiologist in your area, or for free information about noise and hearing loss, call ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-638-8255 or go to ASHA’s Web site at http://www.asha.org
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 109,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Speech-language pathologists are health care professionals who identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems, including swallowing problems.
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Editor’s Note:
On our Web site, you can also download a printable graph, get facts about noise and hearing loss, or view ASHA’s PSA on noise and hearing health.
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