Industrial Noise and its Effects on Hearing
Audition plays many important roles in our daily lives. From sound, we can identify and locate an object. Also, spoken language and its auditory reception have become an extremely important means of communication. A deficit in the ability to hear have tremendous effects on a person physically and mentally. Hearing loss caused by occupational noise is one of our biggest industrial diseases. It is a disease that has been recognized since the Industrial Revolution. According to Sataloff and Sataloff (1987) about 35 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, and of those, eight million suffer from occupational hearing loss. Because of the sheer number of people and our neglect of the subject,
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The second is a noise-induced temporary threshold shift that results in an elevation of heighten levels following noise exposure. The loss is usually reversible. The third effect is a noise-induced permanent threshold shift, which is not reversible. It may come from acoustic trauma or be produced by the cumulative effect of repeated noise exposures over many periods of years.
The structures most susceptible to noise damage are the sensory receptor cells, the hair cells, located in the cochlea. Damage from repeated noise is a physiochemical problem where the metabolic stress exerts pressure on the maximally stimulated cells. Depending on the amount of cellular damage, it could be permanent or temporary damage. In fact, cochlear damage is the number-one characteristic of occupational hearing loss. Sataloff and Sataloff (1987) namea few others. For one,the patient must have a history of long-term exposure to intense noise levels sufficient to cause the degree and pattern of hearing loss evident in audiologic finding. The hearing loss must have developed gradually over a period of years. The hearing loss must have developed during the first eight to ten years of exposure. The hearing loss must initially have started in the higher frequencies (generally 3000-6000 Hz) and be almost equal in both ears. Speech discrimination scores, even with
Hearing loss continues to linger in the elderly population of today’s society. Yet, the onset of hearing loss can occur at any age and at any point in
This happens in two ways: listening at too high of a volume, or listening for too long. Studies have confirmed the obvious fact that “the louder the noise and the longer you’re hearing it, the greater the risk of hearing loss” (Siegel). This study concluded that an increasing amount of teens are suffering hearing loss and “wearing earbuds to listen to music may be to blame” (Siegel). The knowledge of loud sounds hurting the ear is well known, but not as many people are aware of the problems caused by listening to music for an extended amount of time. “Constant low-level noise might cause hearing problems, a new study in rats finds” (Cheung). Even music at a low level can damage a listener’s hearing if heard for an extended period of time, but what can losing some hearing really do to a
The ear is an extraordinary human organ that many people take for granted until it doesn’t function. It is the only device that allows the human to hear sounds in their environment. The ear is made up of many parts that distinguish various sounds through different means. The ear anatomy and physiology along with how sound waves are transmitted into meaningful sounds will help one understand how hearing loss occurs.
The condition Colin is likely to be suffering from is Presbycusis. Presbycusis is an age-related hearing loss, it is a hearing disorder that can be caused by a variety of different factors. It is usually a sensorineural hearing disorder but can be a conductive hearing loss. A conductive hearing loss is when it is caused by problems with the ear canal, ear drum, middle ear and the malleus, uncus and stapes this can result in reduced function of the tympanic membrane or reduced function of auditory ossicles. Most commonly it is as a result of changes within the inner ear, middle ear or the nerve pathways to the brain. The cochlea is lined with tiny hair cells; these hairs convert sound vibrations into electrical signals which are received at the brain by a nerve. These cells can become damaged over time this means electrical signals cannot be transmitted as effectively so hearing becomes affected. Long-term exposure to loud noises such as that from traffic and loud equipment which Colin would have been exposed to working as a mechanic can also be a cause of
In order to gain a better understanding of the difficulties faced by people with hearing loss I wore ear plugs for an entire day in a variety of settings. The hearing loss simulation made relatively simple parts of my day much more difficult and really showed how much hearing loss can impact daily life. As discussed in class the shift from being “able-bodied to disabled”, was quite difficult to cope with.
The sound of your parents voice, hearing your favorite song playing on the radio, even knowing the sound of your own voice, these are just a few sounds that sadly many of us take for granted, and unfortunately many will never get to experience. Hearing loss affects about 10% of the Global population, with 124.2 million people affected from a moderate level to a severe disability. (WHO 2008)
The book Shouting Won 't Help by Katherine Boulton is a memoir and guide about being hearing impaired. Her journey about having a bilateral hearing loss: profound deaf in one ear and severely impaired in the other ear. It is a part memoir and a part scientific study about her experience. The book is organized using the author 's personal experience while also explore series of questions about the different types of causes of deafness - environmental and medical factors, the social stigma attached to it, the professional challenges faced with hearing loss and the technologies that help. At the end of every chapter, the author includes a titled chapter “Voices” about other people 's stories about their hardship and experience.
Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the United States, affecting nearly 35 million, or 1 in 9, Americans. Hearing aids is a necessity in the life of someone who is hard-of-hearing, if they choose to use them. Furthermore of the 35 million living with hearing loss only 25% of them actually use a hearing aid, this means that around 26 million are living with untreated hearing loss (Audicus, 2014). Most of the reasoning behind
Noise is one of the most widespread causes of hearing loss, and the most likely causes of occupational illnesses in the United States (Leigh 728). Acute or prolonged exposure to high-level, impulsive noise is an ongoing problem for the military and defense forces all over the world (Sliwinska-Kowalska and Adrian Davis 274). One shot from a big caliber firearm, perceived at a close range, may permanently or temporarily damage an individual hearing in an instant. Additionally, repeated exposures to noisy machinery may, over an extensive period of time, impose serious risks to human hearing. According to the report released by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD); ten million Americans have already suffered permanent hearing damage from noise and thirty to fifty million individuals are exposed to hazardous noise levels every day (Leigh 728). Many hearing illness in the police service originate from the noise caused by gunshots. As a result of increased cased of hearing problem, mainly in the police service, many scholars have engaged in research in order to get appropriate mean to control these problem. Considering the increasing investigation from military groups for vital information on how to protect from impulse noise, it is vital to explore health effects associated with impulse noise from gunshots. This study explores the effects on hearing caused by
There are four main types of hearing loss: auditory processing, conductive, sensorineural, and mixed. In auditory processing hearing loss, the brain has difficulty processing the information it receives from the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss occurs when the Outer or Middle ear are subjected to damage. A number of factors can yield conductive hearing loss; including problems as simple as an excess of ear wax to problems as complex as otosclerosis, which is abnormal bone growth in the ossicles. Sensorineural hearing loss typically occurs when the cochlea and/or nerve endings are damaged. Unlike conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss is almost always permanent. Over-exposure to a loud environment, or even old age, are the most common factors that lead to sensorineural hearing loss.
As a veteran, John was exposed to loud noises while on duty many years ago. Due to his prolonged exposure, John developed severe sensorineural hearing loss. Along with hearing loss, he also suffers from tinnitus. This interview was conducted in a quiet environment and directly facing John. John began the interview
Hearing loss is the most common physical disability in the whole wide world. In the United States alone, about 28 million people have some level of hearing impairment that interferes with their ability to understand normal speech and participate in conversations. Another 2 million cannot hear at all.
A hearing protection device (HPD) is often used as a protective measure in a workplace environment when the sound levels of that environment cannot be decreased and such levels pose a threat to the hearing of workers. An HPD is a safety device worn by individual’s to protect his or her hearing from the harmful effects of sound (Berger, 2003). A variety of occupational environments are known to produce high levels of noise, including factories and military operations. Individuals employed in these professions may be required to wear HPDs to reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. However, certain situations in these work environments require the listener to also be able to hear low-level sounds for safety reasons.
Those not thoroughly educated in communication tend to confuse the terms “hearing” and “listening.” Although they appear to mean the same thing, utilize the same body part, and are both required for functional communication, there is a great difference between these two actions. Hearing involves the perception of sound using the ears, while listening is based upon giving attention to the sound being perceived. Additionally, because these concepts are different, there are also several different ways of improving hearing and listening. Thus, there are several differences between these two concepts, and it is important to signify these differences in order to practice effective communication.
only by the patient. Because the inner ear has no pain fibers, damage is not