Noise protection for the ears

Why noise protection keeps your ears healthy

The lawn needs mowing. So off you go and get the lawnmower out of the shed. But where are the ear muffs? Where are the earplugs? Never mind, then I'll just mow today without ...

A good idea?

Without noise protection for the ears - no way. Possibly, after a few hours of mowing the hearing organs do not hear as well as before.

Because: The volume of a commercial petrol lawnmower can be up to 95 decibels and more. A noise exposure that, according to medical experts, can already cause permanent hearing damage.

The reason: the high sound intensity destroys the hair cells in the inner ear, which absorb the sound vibrations with their fine hairs and transmit them to the brain as nerve impulses. Since the sensitive sensory cells neither regenerate nor grow back, noise protection is so important for the ears.

The calculation is simple: the more hair cells are damaged by noise, the worse our hearing. Hearing loss is the result.

What are the reasons for noise protection for the ears in everyday life?

Gardening, DIY, going to concerts, playing music, shooting and motor sports: sound levels that damage human hearing occur during many hobbies and leisure activities. Often without being noticed. Numerous occupational groups also have to work at high noise concentrations - i.e. considerable noise. Some are exposed to short periods of particularly loud noise, others to continuous noise at lower volumes - both are risky for the ears without earplugs or earmuffs.

In any case, if you make sure that your ears are adequately protected against noise, you can prevent hearing loss.

However, some people consider it a sign of weakness to protect their ears - or fear that others might think that way about them.

Others reject hearing protection for visual reasons - and recklessly accept reduced hearing ability in return. Yet there are now earplugs that are barely visible. They even have active impulse sound insulation, which makes harmful noise quieter and amplifies quieter sounds such as conversations.
Noise protection for the ears in everyday life often fails because of the simple question: What is actually loud?
Everyone perceives noise a little differently. Not everyone reflexively covers their ears when they hear the rattle of a drill or a mega-loud live concert by their favorite band. It is easy to forget that certain volumes are dangerous for all ears. Without exception.

What volume is loud - and at what point is hearing protection necessary?

The unit decibel (dB) indicates how loud a sound is. Ten decibels more represent a tenfold increase in sound energy. Three decibels mean a doubling.

If the different sensitivity of the ear to different sound frequencies is taken into account in a loudness measurement, the unit dB (A) is used.

The decisive question is: Which noises are how loud - and from which dB (A) value is noise protection for the ears necessary?

Here's the rundown - that's how many decibels are caused by rustling leaves, droning radios and jets taking off:

• 0 dB (A)

 - the hearing threshold of a person with normal hearing. Higher volume levels can be perceived by healthy ears.

• 0 to 20 dB (A)

 - Breathing, forest rustling, leaves rustling. The sounds in this decibel range are barely audible.

• 20 to 40 dB (A)

 - the ticking of a wristwatch, the PC ventilation, whispering. These noises are clearly perceptible and already cause people who are sensitive to hearing to feel disturbed, such as having difficulty falling asleep.

• 40 to 60 dB (A)

 - soft music from the radio, the hum of the refrigerator, a normally loud conversation. This disturbs almost everyone who wants to work concentrated in the immediate vicinity.

• 60 to 80 dB (A) - a conversation between several people, café atmosphere, telephone ringing, normal road traffic. From 65 dB (A) significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

• 80 to 100 dB (A)

 -  passing truck, lawn mower, chainsaw, ghetto blaster, angle grinder. Without hearing protection, damage to the health of the ears is inevitable. From an average noise level of 85 dB (A) during an eight-hour working day, employers are required by the Noise and Vibration Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance to provide their employees with suitable hearing protection.

• 110 dB (A)

 - Circular saw, jackhammers, disco, music at high volume through headphones. This is literally ear-splitting, unhealthy noise.

• 120 dB (A) and more

- Rock concert, jet aircraft taking off, violent explosion. This noise leads to pain in the ears and hearing damage after a short time.

With this information, it should be noted that not only the volume itself plays a role, but also the duration to which one is exposed to it. Example: An eight-hour exposure to 85 dB (A) with hearing protection worn can be exceeded by 3 dB (A) if the duration of noise exposure is reduced to four hours.

Protecting hearing - what measures are suitable in everyday life?

Anyone who is exposed to noise levels of 85 dB (A) and above for eight hours should always wear suitable hearing protection. Otherwise, there is a risk of hearing loss - according to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the occupational disease with the highest number of recognized cases in Germany.

Hearing protection is essential for people working in industries such as aircraft handling, road construction, agriculture and breweries.

However, nightclub workers, professional musicians, dentists and kindergarten teachers also often work at sound levels above 85 dB (A).

Apart from earplugs and the like, the following strategies and measures provide noise protection for the ears at work and in leisure time:

• Turn down the music

- Whether home cinema system, radio or smartphone: most playback devices allow unhealthy sound levels. The rule is: never turn the volume up too high, especially with headphones, music should be listened to more quietly.

• Avoid parallel noise

-often music, printer, washing machine and telephone call are running at the same time, which puts considerable strain on the ears. Therefore, several parallel noise sources should be avoided.

• Buy quiet devices

 - Electrical manufacturers indicate the noise emissions of their appliances in dB. If you look carefully when buying a tumble dryer, dishwasher and printer, you can protect your home from annoying noise.

• keep aloof

 - The closer the ears are to the source of the noise, the higher the risk. Therefore, when it gets loud, the rule is: retreat.

But what to do if there is an unexpected and sudden deafening bang, crash, hammer, clang, scream or boom? Simply walking away and bringing your hearing to safety is not always immediately possible.

Then an age-old, but proven and extremely effective measure for quick noise protection helps: cover your ears - or reach for hearing protection. In-ear hearing protection is small and fits in any handbag or jacket pocket when you're out and about.