|
A couple of years ago I was drawn to an article called “The
Muffled Epidemic” which was in the July/August issue
of Health magazine. The subheading said “Noise is stealing
the hearing of million of Americans. Are you one of them?”
The author told the story of a young woman who took a hearing
test to appease her husband who was concerned about her constant
requests to repeat what he was saying. The disturbing result
showed that at age 34, she needed hearing aids. When she looked
at the possible causes of her hearing loss, the likeliest
answer was something she had never imagined would harm her
- aerobics classes. She had attended classes 5 days a week,
an hour a day, for 15 years to music amplified to produce
an adrenaline rush that keeps club members going. According
to this article, aerobics classes can hit 105 decibels (dB)
which would be like standing on the running board of a fire
engine with the siren going.
But that‘s not the only place where the decibel levels
are high enough to damage the delicate hairs in your ears.
I recently found an on-line article from Reuters called “There’s
a Fly In Your What?” about the noise level in many restaurants.
Researchers took sound readings Thursday through Saturday
at dinnertime for several one-hour periods. Then they calculated
the average noise exposure a waiter or other worker might
get in an 8-hour shift.
In at least two cases, the continuous exposure topped the
85-decibel level. According to the National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health, this level threatens hearing loss. Noise
problems were worst in restaurants with big bars, hard surfaces,
high ceilings, open kitchens and large crowds, all standard
in today’s newest and trendiest restaurants.
Loud noise is also affecting nature. ABC Science News reports
that all the noise from supertankers, oil exploration, and
new military sonar equipment scrambles the communications
systems of sea life. A new report warns that this underwater
noise pollution has forced changes in migration routes and
breeding grounds. An article called “Sound and Fury”
in the March 2001 issue of Harper’s reports that certain
species of birds fail to learn their mating songs and therefore
to reproduce in noisy environments.
As early as 1975, one researcher found that children on the
train-track side of a New York public school were lagging
a year behind their classmates on the other side of the building
in learning to read. Numerous studies have been done about
the effects of airport noise and families who live nearby
and the same results have been found. The sound of toys can
range up to 100 dB. Two hours of a power drill but only thirty
minutes of continuous sound in a video arcade can cause permanent
hearing loss. Even a baby’s rattle can be as high as
110 dB. The Cornell Chronicle reported a new study shows that
children don’t tune out sound per se when in a chronically
noisy environment; rather, they have difficulty acquiring
speech recognition skills.
The effects of noise pollution are more far reaching than
just hearing loss. Persistent loud sounds have been linked
to headaches, stomach aches, tinnitus, irritability, loss
of sleep, learning difficulties, even heart disease and high
blood pressure. One writer reports that anti-stress medications
are actually tested by exposing subjects to loud sounds.
Perhaps the most disturbing story I found was in the July
1998 issue of Time magazine entitled “Mad About Noise.”
It began with the opening sentences, “Ever felt like
murdering your neighbor for blasting music too loud? That’s
exactly what 78-year-old retired farmer Lambrinos Lykouresis
did two years ago in Lithakia, on the Greek island of Zabynthos.”
Apparently Lambrinos had complained to the neighbor for months
about the noise. One evening during the evening news which
he continuously had trouble hearing, he suddenly snapped.
He took his hunting rifle from the shelf and rang the bell
to the neighbor’s apartment. When the housewife answered
the door, he fired three times at point-blank range, killing
her instantly and wounding her 24-year-old son. Lambrinos
is now in a quieter place, a Greek.maximum security prison.
This is an extreme example of what someone felt compelled
to do to have a little peace and quiet. But I think all of
us have felt the irritation of unwanted sound.
It’s pretty sad to read that an eighty-year-old Sudanese
villager hears better than a thirty-year-old American. It’s
sad to read that noise may affect us morally as well as aurally.
According to the March 2001 Harper’s article “Sound
and Fury” by Garret Keizer, people subjected to high
levels of noise are less likely to assist strangers in difficulty,
less likely to recommend raises for workers, more like to
administer electric shocks to other human subjects.
The issue of environmental noise and it’s effect on
children has long been an issue of great importance to the
National Academy for Child Development (NACD). For over twenty
years, NACD researched and experimented with ways to create
the optimal sound environment, especially for children.
If you’ve visited the NACD website, you know that they
describe the common environment of today’s student.
While little Max is trying to do his homework, he can hear
his older brother listening to rock music upstairs, a car
going down the street, the florescent lights, the hum of the
computer, the sound of a jet flying overhead, and his mother
talking on the phone. If Max is also hypersensitive to certain
sounds and already has difficulty concentrating, he’s
in big trouble.
Even relatively low levels of noise (55 to 60 dB) can interfere
with conversation. The danger zone for hearing loss begins
at about 85 dB. To give you an idea of noise levels in most
of our environments, here are some decibel guidelines:
Hair Dryer: 75-90db
Lawn Mower: 90-100db
Leaf Blower: 95-115db
Rock Concert: 110-120db
Portable Stereo
(full volume): 115db
City Traffic: 80-100db
Jet Engines: 140db
Subway Trains: 100db
Fireworks: 130-190db
Handgun/Rifle: 160-170db
That’s why ABT created Sound Health, to create an environment
that would not only mask the irritating environmental noises
but actually provide a therapeutic sound environment for both
children and adults. When played at a low level, the CD’s
LEARNING, CONCENTRATION, THINKING, PRODUCTIVITY, INSPIRATION
and MOTIVATION provide a healthy work and
learning environment. For unwinding, DE-STRESS
and RELAX take the edge off and encourage
physical and mental relaxation.
What else can you do to keep noise levels low at home? Sacramento’s
Dr. Tom Hopkins suggests giving kids earplugs if they are
going to be around loud noises. Mark the volume dial on your
TV and tell your kids not to turn it past the mark. Buy appliances
that run quietly.
While The Listening Program cannot repair organic damage,
it can provide a valuable “tune-up.” We believe
that masking unwanted environmental noise with CD’s
from Sound Health plus regular use of The Listening Program
will help to keep your hearing healthy. Become aware of the
noise pollution in your life and learn to make your sound
environment work for you!
© 2001 Advanced Brain Technologies, LLC
|
