New Study on Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

A new study confirms that earplugs can shield you from the temporary hearing loss that can happen after a high-decibel music concert. While getting millennials to wear earplugs at concerts may be a long shot, one expert said the threat to their hearing is real.

 The study was published online in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. In fact, the study said, the number of American teens with hearing loss has jumped 31 percent since 1988, according to federal government data. One reason for that trend is increased exposure to loud music at venues such as concerts, festivals and nightclubs, the researchers said.

The average noise level during the festival was 100 decibels, which is known to pose a threat to hearing. After the festival, temporary hearing loss was diagnosed in nearly half (42 percent) of those who did not wear earplugs, but only 8 percent of those who had used them.

What's more, the rate of post-concert tinnitus (ringing in the ears) was 40 percent in those without earplugs, but just 12 percent in those who wore them.

The findings add to "evidence that earplugs are effective in preventing temporary hearing loss during high recreational music levels. Therefore, the use of earplugs should be actively promoted and encouraged to avoid noise-induced hearing loss," wrote the research team.

According to the study's authors, it's long been clear that loud music can harm hearing, and it's not certain how long the damage can last.

Now hear this

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears and more than 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents. Approximately 15 percent of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing. Not surprisingly, age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss, with the greatest amount of hearing loss in the 60 to 69 age group. For women who insist that men block out their words, studies show that men are almost twice as likely as women to have hearing loss among adults aged 20-69.

One in eight people in the United States (13 percent) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations. About 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids.

In David Owen’s best-selling 2019 book Volume Control, he questions why people with either nearsightedness or farsightedness typically get fitted for glasses as soon as their eyesight diminishes, but many people with hearing loss often wait 10 years or more before even considering hearing aids as an option.

In his book, Owen recounts an observation by Helen Keller who once asked which handicap was tougher to deal with – blindness or deafness. Without hesitation, Keller answered that being deaf truly isolates you from the outside world, much more than blindness.

Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30 percent) has ever used them. Even fewer adults aged 20 to 69 (approximately 16 percent) who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Depending on the intensity and length of exposure to a sound, noise-induced hearing loss can occur suddenly or take years to be noticeable. Typically, a sound of less than 75 decibels is considered safe. For reference, average decibel ratings for familiar sounds include:

• The humming of a refrigerator: 45 decibels

• Normal conversation: 60 decibels

• Noise from heavy city traffic: 85 decibels

• Motorcycles: 95 decibels

• An MP3 player at maximum volume: 105 decibels

• Sirens: 120 decibels

• Firecrackers and firearms: 150 decibels

Doctors classify hearing loss by degrees.

• Mild hearing loss: One-on-one conversations are fine, but it’s hard to catch every word when there’s background noise.

• Moderate hearing loss: You often need to ask people to repeat themselves during conversations in person and on the phone.

• Severe hearing loss: Following a conversation is almost impossible unless you have a hearing aid.

• Profound hearing loss: You can’t hear when other people speaking, unless they are extremely loud. You can’t understand what they’re saying without a hearing aid or cochlear implant.

Plug it up

For many who work in industries where they experience constant exposure to loud sounds, ear plugs can mitigate hearing loss. Heavy equipment operators on construction sites, landscape workers and some manufacturing plant workers are just a few of the employees who are assaulted daily with dangerous levels of sound.

Low-tech foam earplugs are still considered by many to be the most effective type at blocking out noise. To use foam earplugs effectively, you'll need to fit them appropriately in your ear. This internal positioning is what makes them so effective.

In 2018, the 3M Company agreed to pay a settlement of $9.1 million to the U.S. Justice Department to settle lawsuits related to defective ear plugs provided by the company to the U.S. Army. Although the earplugs were meant to be used in combat, the corporation did not disclose defects that would limit the ability of the earplugs to protect against noise, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The defect involves the earplugs being too short for proper insertion into the ear, and will loosen for some people. The payment settled the allegations that 3M and its predecessor, Aearo Technologies, knew about this defect.

“Government contractors who seek to profit at the expense of our military will face appropriate consequences,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler.

3M decided to settle in order to avoid a lengthy legal battle and investigation.

The company said in a statement that they “take great pride in our products and this resolution is not an admission of liability, but simply a decision to move forward with our mission to provide high-quality personal safety equipment products to our customers.”

What did you say

One barrier to more widespread use of hearing aids is the lack of health care coverage for these aids, either by government-run programs like Medicare or most private insurance carriers. Hearing aids are expensive, often costing thousands of dollars that most patients have to be able to afford out-of-pocket.

What’s clear from the study published online in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery is that loud noise like at a music festival can do irreparable damage to people’s ability to hear. Ear plugs and common-sense avoidance measures can help with preserving hearing.

As Helen Keller once said, “blindness separates us from things while deafness separates us from people.”

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