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R. Pujol et al (Director/Writer). "What Is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?." Hearing Health Foundation, n.d. [Web]. Retrieved Jan. 14, 2014. From: http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-works

Opposed to the beliefs and myths of nagging parents and teachers that say, “Headphones will destroy your hearing,” I am here to tell you that this is not entirely true. As humans, our ears can pick up sounds of 20Hz to 20,000Hz; the Hertz is a measure of sound frequency. However, the loudness of sound perceived is heard as the decibel (db) and, according to the Hearing Health Foundation, the “danger zone,” or level of noise that will damage your ears, is noise anywhere above 90db.[1]

The number of decibels that headphones output varies considerably; headphone companies do not advertise the output of decibels their headphones produce. The problem is that the user of the headphone cannot knowingly gauge their music below the danger zone (90db) to protect their hearing. Fortunately, in some user manuals for headphones, companies will put in a chart to help you estimate the decibel level of which the head phone produces. The table below is from a Sol Republic user manual and has sounds above the danger zone.  The chart also has an estimated length of listening time before sound induced hearing loss begins to occur from that level of sound. Using this table below you can determine how loud your music is to where the noise level in decibels is compared to known sounds. [2] Take note that an increase in 10db is heard as the doubling in the loudness of perceived sound before.[3]

[2]Sound Level (db)               Listening duration                 Sound Example

90                                                    8hrs                                         Lawnmower

92                                                    6hrs                                         Tractor

95                                                    3hrs                                         Electric Drill

100                                                  2hrs                                         Subway Train

102                                              1 ½ hrs                                        Jet Flyover at 100ft

105                                                  1hr                                          Snowmobile

110                                                1/2hr                                         Jackhammer

115                                                1/4hr                                         Concert

The big deal about hearing damage is that when your ear is damaged, it is damaged permanently. To further understand how the ear is damaged, we must venture into the three different parts of the ear. The first part of the ear is the outer ear which consists of the part you can see. This outside part is called the Pinna or the Auricle, the people pierce for earrings, and it also consists of the ear canal. The purpose of the outer ear is to gather sounds and prevent foreign bodies (viruses and bacteria) from entering our bodies via earwax. [4]

The second part of the ear, the middle ear, contains the ear drum and connected to it are three very small bones called the malleus (hammer), incus (Anvil), and stapes (Stirrup). The job of the middle ear is to turn the sound waves into vibrations so that the inner ear can translate them into electrical impulses read by the brain to give you your perception of sound. [4]

The third part of the ear, the cochlea, is a snail shaped tube which contains hair cells. The cochlea captures vibrations and the hair cells inside the cochlea turn these vibrations into neurological signals. This is where sound-induced hearing loss occurs; hair cells are very sensitive and can be easily damaged or entirely destroyed  from long exposure to loud sound. This means the range of sound waves (Hz) you perceive goes down.  The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for damage to the hair cells to occur.[4]

Once your hair cells have been destroyed, they do not grow back, so any damage done to them now will stay with you for the rest of your life. So be aware about how loud you crank up your tunes and the length of time you listen to them, because what you do can affect your hearing for the rest of your life.

Here are a few common-sense commendations on how to protect your hearing. [3]

1. Limit your time around noises above 90 decibels (lawnmower)
2. Set the sound limit of your device in a quiet place so that when you are in noisier areas you don’t crank up the volume to block out the sound.
3. Limit the time you listen to your head phones at high volume.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1]”What Is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?.” What Is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?. Hearing Health Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/what-is-nihl>.

[2]Sol Republic. N.d. Tracks,Tracks HD, and Tracks Ultra manual.

[3]”Apple – Sound and Hearing.” Apple – Sound and Hearing. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.apple.com/sound/>.

[4]”Your Ears.” KidsHealth – the Web’s Most Visited Site about Children’s Health. Ed. Steven Dowshen. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.<http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/ears.html>