The Sound of Silence

Did you enjoy Oxygen or Electric Picnic this year? Frequent any clubs or pubs recently? A slight ringing in your ears the following day will be familiar to many of you. Increasing traffic, MP3 players, laptops, more affordable sound systems, concerts, an ever increasing pub culture ... seemingly endless avenues exist to bombard our ear drums daily. Hearing aid audiologist John O’ Mahony of Egans (5/6 Lavitt’s Quay) highlights that tinnitus is one consequence, an unwelcome ringing or buzzing in the ear that can range from being a minor issue right up to impacting heavily on quality of life, along with noise induced hearing loss which can take years to manifest itself. Symptoms of the latter include difficulty in understanding those near by, in particular when background noise occurs or a gradual need to increase the volume of your TV or music player.

Such noise exposure is measured in units called decibels (db). Those whispered sweet nothings to your next conquest in the library comes in about 30db, while the conversation you enjoy during that awkward, first morning-after cup of coffee equals about 60db. Walking down Patrick St. on a busy Saturday comes in at 80db. For the musical among you, band practice rates at about 120db, equivalent to a plane as it takes off. Clearly most of us won’t be standing beside a runway or pneumatic drill five days a week, but it is the subtle causes of hearing loss that are the most insidious. Over time, the hair cells attached to the nerves within your inner ear can become permanently damaged. This is no joke when the average I-pod blasts out 100-120db at full volume. The fact that it is ironically silently progressive means many years will have passed before you notice the damage, with Mr. O’ Mahony highlighting that above 70-85db is damaging.

This epidemic has yet to truly surface among the younger population but it may be just around the corner, if current research and the subsequent increase in lawsuits in America are anything to go by. Philip Cornwell of Hidden Hearing (27 Marlboro St.) has seen the average age of those with hearing complaints drop from seventy to sixty years of age over the last decade, mainly as a result of exposure to industrial levels of noise, but that there is no way of knowing the true number out there. Mr. Cornwell advocates that more awareness should exist in the community on the causes of hearing loss, highlighting damage from mobile phone use as one avenue relatively unexplored to date. Both Mr. Cornwell and Mr. O’ Mahony explain that upon emergence from venues such as nightclubs, many of us experience what is known as a “temporary threshold shift”, whereby our hearing is impaired in the short-term. Continuous exposure will result in atrophy of hearing, whereby the hair cells degenerate, becoming dormant for longer periods and progressively weaker.

The legal requirement in Ireland is if employees are exposed to noises above 85 decibels, they must be provided protection. Mr. Cornwell points out that many proactive Scandinavian countries grade houses on decibel level exposure and price accordingly. Similar legislation to protect the hearing of all Irish citizens outside the workplace should be introduced. Mr. O’ Mahony also argues that the audiology and hearing aid industry is largely unregulated in Ireland, so be sure to check for registration on www.ishaa.ie, as many hearing products are tax deductible (but generally dependant on visiting an accredited practitioner).

Personally, I am increasingly annoyed on nights out when yet another of my favourite haunts has been invaded by blaring music. This is reputed by some to be a marketing move, in line with a gradual reduction of seating and tables in some venues, all designed to reduce social interaction and increase alcohol consumption. Equally to the Ipod aficionados “studying” in the Boole or Brookfield, if I can hear your frankly intrusive music, serious damage must be occurring.

This is one affliction you will regret if you let it progress as it is relatively easy to eliminate. Mr. O’ Mahony highlights that “common sense comes into play … (as wells as) volume level and length of exposure.” First off, reduce the volume level. Where there is heavy background noise, either invest in a pair of decent noise cancelling headphones or don’t use your player. These are rapidly growing more affordable, allowing you to enjoy your many lecture podcasts in serenity. Prices for a decent set still range from €100 euro up past €500 however. Use earplugs at noisy venues, or purchase what are known as “ear protectors”, which reduce the intensity of sound by 15-25db rather than blocking it out completely (which occurs with normal earplugs), and so sound quality is not compromised. These can be custom made by an audiologist (see below) and are generally priced between €200 and €300.

To put it in the words of Julianne Moore in the apocalyptic Children of Men: “Y’know that ringing in your ears? That ‘eeeeeeeeee’? That’s the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it’s gone you’ll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Useful Contacts:

Cork Deaf Association, 5 Mac Curtain St., Cork – (021) 4505944

Egan’s Hearing Aid Specialists & Opticians, 5/6 Lavitt’s Quay, Cork – (021) 4276414

Hidden Hearing, 27 Marlboro St., Cork – (021) 4272565