Fireworks, parades can hurt hearing

MELROSE PARK, Ill., June 30 (UPI) -- Summer fun can also mean summer noise from fireworks, parades or road construction, which can be harmful to hearing, a U.S. audiologist says.

Jyoti Bhayani, a certified audiologist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System near Chicago, says 10 percent of U.S. adults have hearing loss that affects their ability to understand normal speech.

Hearing loss is most often due to aging but hearing loss due to excessive noise is preventable, unlike in the case of old age or a medical condition. Once hearing is damaged, it cannot be repaired Bhayani says.

People can be individually sensitive to levels of sound but experts recommend using hearing protection when exposed to sounds louder than 85 decibels for an extended time. Subway and elevated trains, lawnmowers and shop tools have 90 dB; chainsaws, snowmobiles or drills have 100 dB; a power saw has 110 dB; a loud rock concert, sandblasting or car horn has 115 dB; fireworks and jet engine take off have 150 dB and a shotgun has 170 dB.

"I recommend using hearing protection devices for those who are exposed to excessive, loud noises and musician's ear plugs, which simply attenuate the intensity/loudness without altering frequency response," Bhayani says in a statement. "Many think it is cool to rock out to loud music, especially with your headphones on -- but is it cool to wear a hearing aid?"