Take care of your ears

By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer

July 14, 2008 06:38 pm

— What you don’t know about what you can hear can hurt you.
Many people know that lost hearing cannot be recovered. But, it’s not common knowledge that continuous exposure to medium-loud sound can permanently damage your hearing.
Dave Morgan, a machine operator at Georgia-Pacific with 17 years experience, said his job exposes him both short-term loud noise and long-term medium noise.
“We have our compact tissue machine with the continuous hum of the motors,” he said. “And we have another machine where the mandrels knock against the winding nest at about 400 mph and makes a pretty loud crack.”
Morgan has tried out different ear plugs provided by the company. Each pair is disposable and only used once.
“These formable foam ear plugs provide the best protection,” he said. “All of them provide what is required but these offer a little more.”
Morgan said hearing protection is one situation where he’s glad his employers have always been strict.
“I appreciate it,” he said. “I don’t worry about not having what I need. The ear protection is very accessible; it’s always right there when I need it.”
Gill Luton, Georgia-Pacific spokesman, said every new employee gets a baseline hearing test and then annual hearing tests after that.
“We offer all types of hearing protection,” he said. “The job conditions determines the type of protection available through our safety department.”
Mike Hitt, manager at Mike’s Outdoors on North York Street, said all sportsmen using firearms need protection to prevent hearing loss.
“The range of ear protection starts at standard ear plugs costing about a dollar for a package of four,” he said. “Next up from that is ear plugs with cords, and a pack is about $5. The next step is headphones. They have a foam earpiece, then you can step up to a liquid-filled type that will go around the ears. Prices are $10 and up.”
Hitt said electronic ear muffs are really popular right now with gun enthusiasts.
“They amplify low-volume sounds up to about 85 decibels so you can carry on a normal conversation or hear noises out in the woods,” he said. “Above 85-decibel volume they begin to limit the sound getting through. Prices are $60 to $100.”
Hitt didn’t hesitate to endorse hearing protection anytime a firearm is in use.
“Anybody doing any kind of shooting needs some kind of hearing protection,” he said. “I don’t even shoot a .22-caliber rifle without ear protection. Sales are growing every year. Electronic ear muffs are up 10 to 15 percent for use in hunting.”
Shooting ranges require hearing protection, Hitt said. He estimates that even among people shooting on their own land, probably 80 to 90 percent are starting to use hearing protection.
Hitt added that sometimes your ears will try to warn you that something is being damaged.
“I’m not a doctor, but I think any time you’ve been shooting without protection and your ears are ringing, there has been some kind of adverse effect,” he said.
Mary Ellen Finerty, an audiologist with the Muskogee County Health Department, said people may not protect their hearing because of a lack of understanding.
“The effects of noise exposure are not immediate and occur over time,” she said. “By the time there is an effect, it’s years down the road. Damage to our eye sight is immediate, but hearing is invisible, and we take it for granted.”
Finerty said there needs to be more education about hearing protection. Common hazards include lawn mowers, power tools, hobbies with loud equipment, and loud music.
“At 115 decibels, 30 seconds of exposure will cause permanent damage,” she said. “We had a class with some kids where we asked one of them to adjust the volume on their iPod to their usual listening level. Then we put the little ear piece next to a sound level meter and it was 100 decibels.”
Finerty said that is a dangerous level of volume.
“One hundred decibels is equal to an outboard motor, a lawn mower or a jack hammer, and the maximum safe listening time is 15 minutes,” she said. “And young people are listening to this music at high levels for hours at a time.”

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