The 5 Most Damaging Environments for Hearing

The environment people typically spend time in has a huge impact on hearing health.   

As you're preparing for an evening out with friends or even working around the house, you probably aren't thinking about preserving your hearing.

Unfortunately, many seemingly harmless activities are actually quite damaging to your hearing. 

While increased awareness has pushed organizations like OSHA to improve workplace safety, many entertainment environments are still very damaging. 

Here are five of the most damaging environments to hearing and how to protect yourself against noise damage.

Sports Stadium

While a sports game may not seem like a dangerous facility, the crowd's cheers, the marching band, and other entertainment can add up to nearly 90 decibels.

In fact, a study from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene showed that nearly half of all sports officials surveyed experienced mild tinnitus (ringing in the ears) following a game.

Listening to this noise level, particularly over an extended period of time, will lead to permanent hearing loss.

Concert

Attending or participating in a concert can also cause hearing loss. Most rock concerts are about 120 decibels (the threshold for instant hearing damage) and are typically the most dangerous type of concert to attend. However, even classical concerts can be dangerous, with most sounds ranging from 70 to 90 decibels. 

In fact, a study of classical musicians showed that about 15% suffer from hearing loss, and nearly 41% suffer from temporary tinnitus during rehearsals.

Shooting Range/Hunting

Shooting a rifle is also an extremely dangerous activity for your hearing. Some rifles reach a startling 140 decibels, which is about 20 decibels over the threshold that causes instant hearing damage.

In fact, many industry veterans even call it "shooter's ear." This is because hearing loss is typically more prominent in one ear than the other ear.

Home Improvement

If you're planning a day at home, don't think that your hearing is safe. Whether you're clearing leaves from the backyard or building shelves, your tools may pose a threat to your hearing. In fact, here are a few of the most dangerous tools:

• Chain Saw: 110 decibels

• Leaf Blower: 99 decibels

• Lawn Mower: 90 decibels

• Hedge Trimmer: 103 decibels

The Gym

While the gym itself likely won't cause hearing loss, it may be dangerous if there is loud music. Whether the music is played in a speaker or directly into your ears through a cell phone, this can cause serious damage. 

In fact, most headphones can reach a level of 100 to 110 decibels, which is above the threshold for permanent hearing damage over a period of time and just 10 decibels below the threshold for instant hearing loss.

Final Thoughts

While hearing loss awareness has significantly improved over the past several years, there are still plenty of environments that can damage your hearing. In addition, what most people don't realize is that hearing loss can happen within minutes or even an instant of listening to loud noise. However, it's easy to prevent with just a simple pair of earplugs.

For more information, feel free to contact one of our audiologists.