Research & Discovery

Q&A: How Can You Avoid the Deafening Sounds of Summer?

Summer is filled with joyful sounds –from picnics and parties to concerts and fireworks – but some can be pretty loud.

During fireworks, it is not unusual to see babies wearing protective earmuffs. But according to board-certified audiologist Margaret Halinski, babies are not the only ones whose hearing needs protecting. And fireworks may not be the summer’s worst culprit.

Halinski, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development, treats clients at the school’s Sheila C. Johnson Center for Clinical Services. She’s also on a mission to raise awareness about everyday noise risks and how to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

We sat down with Halinski to learn how to protect our hearing this summer.

Margaret Halinski is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development and a board-certified audiologist. (Contributed photo)

Q. What is noise-induced hearing loss?

A. Noise-induced hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the cochlea (inner ear), hearing nerve and/or the central auditory pathway due to high levels of noise. According to the World Health Organization, one billion people are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss between the ages of 12-35 years old.

Q. When does noise-induced hearing loss typically occur?

It can happen at any age. It is great to see babies often wearing ear protection, but the 7-year-old, the teenager, the adult – all of us need hearing protection, too.

Symptoms often start with tinnitus, known as ringing in the ear, but can also be any internal auditory phenomenon like ringing, buzzing or chirping. Another symptom is temporary threshold shift, a phenomenon of having difficulty hearing right after leaving a loud environment but then feeling better the next day.

The bad news is that these symptoms can be insidious in that they can often go away, even though they are symptoms of longer-term damage.

The good news is that noise-induced hearing loss can be prevented.

Q. At what level does sound become a risk?

A. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health sets the recommended exposure for an eight-hour workday at 85 decibels or less. Even though the organization makes recommendations for work environments, these are also the guidelines we use as a baseline for hearing health.

It is critical to remember that the decibel scale is logarithmic, increasing exponentially. That means the perceived loudness of sound is doubled every increase of three decibels, making a decibel of 88 twice as loud as 85, and so on.

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Q. What are some of summer’s loud environments, and how loud are they?

A. All noise risk is related to intensity, distance and duration.

Fireworks are definitely loud. But they create impulse sounds, meaning the pops they make are not sustained, making them less dangerous. They are also often viewed at a distance, which helps make them safer.

Instead, concerts are a much riskier environment for hearing loss. A typical firework show is 20 minutes, while concerts usually last several hours. Summer is prime time for concerts and, on average, music at concerts is played at 106 decibels. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, it is safe to be in an environment at that level for only four minutes before there is a risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Also, don’t be fooled by summer concerts that are outdoors. They can easily be just as loud.

And it isn’t just the audience that is at risk. Perhaps we are moving into the fall a bit, but on average, members of a marching band are exposed to sound levels at 100 decibels. The safe zone at that noise level is only 15 minutes.

Another danger is headphones or earbuds, especially when they are being used in a loud environment. So, if you’re on a bus with engine noise, a train filled with people talking or in a plane full of jet noise, you must be very mindful of how much you are increasing your headphone volume to overcome the outside noise.

Q. How do we protect ourselves against noise-induced hearing loss?

A. Get a pair of high-fidelity earplugs. The best option is to have them custom fitted, like we do at the Shelia C. Johnson Center, but you can also get them over the counter. Using good, high-quality earplugs can result in a 20-decibel reduction in noise level.

Put your smartphone to use. Pay attention to the headphone levels it is already tracking. Also, download an app to monitor the sound loudness where you are. This is a great option to simply get an idea of the environments you’re in.

Get a hearing test. Many insurance providers cover a hearing evaluation, and it is a great way to learn where you are now and then to track it moving forward.