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I read your lead story about the auditory hazard associated with MP3 players with mixed emotions. There is certainly potential for auditory damage when loud music is coupled to the ear, has less distance to travel, and there is nothing to absorb it. Media coverage could possibly bring enough pressure on manufacturers to limit acoustic output. This message has been successful in reaching the adult public: Noise-induced hearing loss is almost exclusively associated with loud music.
This singular focus on loud music in the media has become a red herring for those of us who work in occupational hearing conservation programs. Many senior leaders have convinced themselves that our young folks are going to lose their hearing to loud music. As a result, their limited support for occupational hearing conservation programs is easily rationalized.
The military has shoulder-fired rockets that can wreak havoc on the firer's unprotected ear with one shot. One unprotected training session on an M-16 rifle range can result in permanent hearing loss. Yet, often leaders will want to focus only on the hazards of rock and rap music. We tell them that is like comparing the lethality of a BB gun to howitzer. Their persistence reflects more of a cultural bias than a medical concern. Loud music's close association with youth culture, the counter-culture, and African American culture together with its media coverage are effectively masking our occupational hearing conservation message.
It's time to balance the message.
Doug Ohlin
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
doug.ohlin@us.army.mil
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