by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. In December of 2006 I wrote about smoking and hearing loss and pointed out that smoking in the presence of loud noise makes your ears even more susceptible to hearing loss than either smoking or loud noise alone. Now, researchers have published the results of a study on workers in one […]
Noise-induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
Hearing Loss and Air Bags
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Air bags save lives—and for that we are definitely thankful. They also destroy hearing—and that is not so nice. Here is Lisa’s story. Last week I was involved in what should have been a minor car accident. I wasn’t paying attention and “gently” hit the car in front of me stopped […]
Protect Your Ears—Or Else
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Drag racing is exciting! So is watching drag racing. No doubt about it! In her article “Races Give Fans an Earful” (Gainesville Sun, Florida, March 18, 2007) Diane Chun sucks you right into the excitement. Speed, a blur of colors, the smell of nitromethane and burning rubber. They’re all part of […]
Safe Ear Buds—Easily Protect Your Kids Ears
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Hearing loss is rampant among our youth today—much of it caused by listening to loud music for several hours each day. Just look around. iPods and MP3 players seem to be glued to many kids ears. Since many of these iPods and MP3 players amplify sounds to dangerous hearing levels, it is up to […]
What Are Safe Sound Levels?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: While doing research I have found that many web sites have different views on safe exposure times to loud sounds. Some web sites will say that you should not be exposed to noises that exceed 80 dB for more than 8 hours, other say 85 dB and some […]
Loud Noise and Hard of Hearing People
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A hard of hearing person asked: Is the noise damage threshold the same for me as it is for a person with normal hearing? Do I just add my decibel loss (by frequency) to the noise damage threshold for normal ears? [approximately 80 to 85 dB] If sustained noise at 90 […]