Hearing loss is the number one disability in the world, and yet it is the most preventable disability in the world. It is important to realize the ear is made up of small and fragile parts. These fragile bones and hair cells have no defenses against loud noises that damage your hearing. In your everyday environment, you experience auditory nuisances that you cannot control; loud vehicles, traffic sounds, construction, dogs barking, crowd noises. However, there are self-induced damaging noises that you can control.

• Personal music devices constantly set on loud

• Car radios played loud enough to vibrate the car windows

• Exposure to extraordinarily loud music concerts or clubs

• Operating loud equipment without wearing ear protection

Unfortunately, musicians in rock bands playing loud music face a life of diminished hearing. The self-induced damage to your hearing is the reason why hearing loss continues to be the most “preventable” disability.

To safeguard your hearing, always wear ear protection when operating any type of loud equipment. Importantly, remember to always use soft earplugs when attending rock concerts. You will still be able to hear the music without traumatizing your ears. Simply said: avoid loud noises, lower the volume, prevent damage, and save your hearing!

Signs of Hearing Loss

Approximately 28 million people in the United States are deaf or hard of hearing. Signs of a hearing loss in both adults and children include the behaviors listed on the following page.

• Saying “huh” or “what” frequently

• Requesting that things be repeated

• Turning the volume up on the television, radio, and personal listening devices

• Sitting close to the television with the volume turned up very loud

• Misunderstanding conversations

• Becoming confused with words that sound alike

• Inattentive at home, school, or social gatherings

• Withdrawn behaviors

• Turning of the head and leaning, favoring one ear or another

• Speaking loudly

• Staring at people who are speaking

• Answering questions incorrectly

• Inappropriate speech development

Decibel Ranges

Here is a simple overview of what people hear at various decibel ranges. A decibel, abbreviated as “dB,” is a unit of measurement for the loudness of sound.

Decibel Range	Example of a Sound
0–10 dB	Birds tweeting, water dripping
10–20 dB	People whispering, ticking of a clock
20–40 dB	Quiet conversation
40–60 dB	Average conversation, baby crying
60–80 dB	Garbage disposal, dog barking, rush-hour traffic
80–90 dB	Motorcycle, lawnmower, leaf blower, subway train
90–100 dB	Truck, bus, power saw
100–110 dB	Emergency vehicle sirens, helicopter, outboard motor
110–120 dB	Rock bands, thunder
120 dB and above	Jet engine, fireworks, shotgun blast, dynamite

How does all this relate to your ability to hear the spoken word for the purpose of communication? The degree of loss certainly affects speech, the acquisition of language, and the ability to communicate readily. You will hear these descriptions when people are discussing hearing losses:

Decibel Range	Description
0–15 dB	Normal hearing
16–35 dB	Mild degree of loss. Likely to experience difficulty in communication; may miss 10 percent of speech.
36–50 dB	Moderate degree of loss. Likely to understand conversations within very close range, three to five feet. The probability of missing conversation beyond that range can be as high as 100 percent. Expressive speech may be affected.
51–70 dB	Moderate to severe degree of loss. Conversations must be extremely loud, and in all probability, 100 percent of speech is missed. Language acquisition is delayed, and speech intelligibility is reduced.
71–90 dB	Severe degree of loss. Delayed spontaneous language and speech. Likely to rely on visual communication.
91 dB plus	Profound degree of loss. Speech and oral language acquisition does not develop spontaneously. Speech is likely to be unintelligible. The person relies on vision for communication and learning.