Summer concerts and firework displays may be more dangerous than many think, according to a Ball State University professor.
Audiologist David Coffin is making an effort to inform people of the increased risk of hearing damage caused by summer activities.
Thirty-six million Americans have hearing loss, with one third of those cases being caused by excessive noise, according to the American Academy of Audiology.
The dangerous level begins around 80 decibels, Coffin said.
Activities that involve dangerously high decibel levels include mowing the lawn, listening to loud music, attending concerts and riding or being around motorcycles.
Coffin said exposure to an excessive amount of noise can either lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.
"The more you have temporary loss, the more likely it'll be permanent," he said. "It doesn't always start out with temporary hearing loss. It depends on the patient."
The type of hearing loss most frequently associated with noise-related damage is high frequency hearing loss, which makes it difficult to understand speech, Coffin said.
The increased use of portable CD and MP3 players during the summer can cause problems as well. Coffin said that these are to blame for numerous cases of hearing loss, especially among younger people.
"I don't know that I can go so far as saying there's a direct link, but I can say that MP3 players can and have caused hearing loss," he said. "We are seeing many younger people with significant hearing loss and their primary history is listening to loud music under headphones."
Recent studies by the National Center for Health Statistics show that nearly 15 percent of young people under the age of 19 have signs of hearing loss.
"I don't know that anybody has done a study that quantifies how much of a problem [portable music player use] is, but it's definitely an issue and we're finding that it's very prevalent," he said.
Coffin said he advised people to wear ear protection in excessively loud situations.
"A general rule of thumb is that if you are in noise and you have to raise your voice significantly to speak to somebody standing next to you, you should probably be wearing ear protection," he said.
Coffin said safety precautions should be followed by everyone because everyone is at risk for hearing loss.
"This kind of hearing loss is non-discriminatory," he said. "There is no one group that is more susceptible."
While the summertime poses more risk for hearing damage with the increase in noise pollution, Coffin warned that people should not let their guard down at any other time of the year.
"It's a problem all the time," he said. "Any time you're around a lot of noise you run the risk of hearing loss."
Several campaigns have been dedicated to raise awareness of the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, including the "Turn it to the Left" campaign.
"Hearing loss is painless and you don't realize it's even happening and it comes on very slowly," he said. "It's not like you wake up one morning and can't hear. It creeps up on you very slowly in a way that most people don't even realize it's happening."
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