How Much Noise…is Too Much Noise?

Despite the fact the the Blazers aren’t playing…many of us will be watching the NBA Finals tonight.

While some of us may crank the audio so we can imagine we are in the arena, are there dangers to”pumping up the volume” at an event or at home?

That was the topic of  recent article by the New York Times News Service, a story that ran in the Bend Bulletin.

According to OHSU hearing expert Billy Martin, who was quoted in  the story…

“Ears are extremely sensitive devices — they’re designed for when you’re walking in the woods and you hear a twig break, signaling that the bear that ate your friend last week is close,” said Martin, who has worn earplugs at many Trail Blazers games at the Rose Garden in Portland, one of the loudest arenas in the NBA because of its low roof.

“There are subtle but gradual consequences of bombarding your ears,” he added. “There’s good solid research saying that children, young children, have hearing loss that can be attributed to noise exposure. The basketball, and sports arenas in general, are a very real subset of the problem.

Based on concerns about hearing loss in young people, Dr. Martin and his colleagues formed a unique program called Dangerous Decibels.

As DD explains at their Web site, they are….

a public health campaign designed to reduce the incidence and prevalence of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and tinnitus (ringing in the ear) by changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of school-aged children.

Do you worry about hearing loss because of the proliferation of noisemakers in our society?