Listen up! Rockers and their fans face the music with hearing damage - loud music can damage hearing mechanisms in the ear

Science World, Feb 23, 1998 by Bob Nugel

Do rockers like Metallica and Aerosmith know something their fans don't? While audiences in jam-packed arenas are screaming in sync to the blasting music, the musicians don earplugs on stage to keep noise levels under control. Aerosmith even uses special ear monitors to lower the music level they play as it's fed back to them. Are the rockers on to something?

You bet. They know their big noise can damage hearing. Last year a University of Florida study revealed that 17 percent of middle and high school students nationwide suffer some degree of hearing loss. In similar studies 20 years ago, only 2.5 percent of students the same age reported such problems.

"Today's young people, who often crank up their headphones or car stereos, are at great risk for losing some hearing in coming years," warns audiologist Alice Holmes, a researcher on the new study. In fact, 28 million Americans already suffer from impaired hearing.

NOW HEAR THIS!

How can loud music cause hearing loss? Start with the outer ear, where sound is funneled into the eardrum (see diagram, top right). Music then enters the inner ear, which contains a snail-shaped area, called the cochlea, filled with fluid. The fluid vibrates with the sound, in turn causing the cilia (tiny hairlike structures in the cochlea) to vibrate as well. The cilia transmits the vibrations in the form of nerve impulses to the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve then carries sounds to the brain, which tells you just what you're hearing.

But intense sound waves can damage the cilia, which can bend and sometimes break. Once damaged, cilia never recover 100 percent--and are prey to even more injury from repeated exposure to strong sound waves. Eventually, cells attached to the cilia die. The result: hearing loss ranging from tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears, to total deafness--for which there is no cure.

No one knows how long it takes to develop hearing impairment. For some people, listening to earsplitting music just once is enough to trigger hearing damage, says audiologist Holly Kaplan of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. In short, a single rock concert can partially rob you of your precious ability to hear.

TURN IT DOWN

How loud is too loud when listening to music? The measurement tool is the decibel. Decibels measure the intensity (or amount of energy) produced by sounds, an indication of loudness. Experts say that exposing yourself continuously to sounds over 85 decibels is a set-up for future hearing problems (see chart, right). A rock concert typically produces sound levels between 100 and 120 decibels. Sometimes, music levels surpass a screeching 130 decibels!

Fortunately rock fans--and musicians--are tuning in to hearing problems. One organization called HEAR (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers) is dedicated to raising awareness about hearing loss caused by deafening music. Rockers like Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth, Primus, and Jane's Addiction support HEAR's campaign to turn down the amps. Their own agenda is simple: If the music is too loud, turn it down! Otherwise, rockers wear earplugs--and encourage their fans to wear them too. So it's time for you to face the music--and turn it down at home and in the car.

Before you head to the next concert, write for a free pair of neon earplugs. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Hearing Is Priceless

House Ear Institute

2100 W. Third St., 5th floor

Los Angeles, CA 90057

RELATED ARTICLE: How Loud is Loud

Our ears are bombarded with all kinds of sounds, some damaging, even painful. Decibels (dB) measure the pressure of sound waves on your ears--an indication of loudness. Each increase of 10 dB represents a sound that is 10 times more powerful.

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