Audiology stories in the issue:
Audiology in Brief
Military Bases Check Sound
Weapons testing and other training exercises at military bases have long been part of the accepted aural background in adjoining communities. However, as military devices have grown louder, noise complaints are receiving more attention. Noise pollution is one of the eight "encroachment" issues the Department of Defense (DOD) reviews in its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The DOD is beginning another round of BRAC this year, the third since 1990.
At Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary's County, MD, the military is taking steps to be quieter. In 1998, an environmental monitor recorded more than 90 dB on one day of testing. Sounds louder than 85 dB can cause hearing damage. Afterward, the Navy set up a complaint hotline and rerouted unmanned aircraft to less populated areas. They are studying experimental devices to muffle the sound of engines and are doing some testing inside a "hush house."
Turning Down the Volume Moviegoers may soon get a reprieve from ear-splitting commercials and movie trailers through sound standards being developed to govern the loudness of pre-show entertainment by the Cinema Advertising Council, a trade group formed a year ago to promote the commercialization of movie-theater screens. Currently, there are no standards for pre-show advertisements that often play at levels exceeding 90 dB. Opponents argue that it's the commercials that are too loud-not the trailers, which are standardized at 85 dB by the Trailer Audio Standards Association. Read the story.
Gene Tied to Hearing Loss
A gene that prevents the regeneration of inner ear cells critical to hearing could be a step toward ameliorating the most common form of hearing loss among the elderly. In mouse studies at Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers found that eliminating the effects of a single gene led to the regrowth of inner ear cells. The regrowth replaces hair cells that are lost to injury or age.
The research team's goal is to find a way to turn off the gene and allow regrowth of hair cells, said Zheng-Yi Chen, senior author of the study, which appeared in the Jan. 14 Science journal. James F. Battey, director of the Nation al Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, said the discovery "is a very important first step" toward learning how to restore hearing.
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