Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

What is Noise? Noise is a sound you don’t want to hear, like The fire alarm at school Construction equipment or Your mom yelling at you to clean your room!

Noises are measured in decibels Noises louder than 85 decibels (dB) can permanently damage your hearing

Some of these dangerous noises are not surprising… Jackhammer (110 dB) Rock Concert (120 dB) Ambulance (125 dB) Gun shot (130 dB) • Airplane taking off (140 dB) http://www.nasaexplores.com

…but others are unexpected! Lawnmower (85-90 dB) Hairdryer (85-90 dB) Motorcycle (90 dB) Washing Machine (80 dB) ipod at full volume (120 dB) Baby Screaming (110 dB)

How does damage happen? Understanding how your ears work can help you understand what makes them stop working www.kidshealth.org

The part of the ear you can see is called the outer ear. The outer ear collects sound and funnels it to the middle ear (the part of the ear you can’t see).

The middle ear delivers sound to the inner ear… This way to the brain! Sound comes in Middle Ear where it is changed into a signal that the brain can recognize. www.thebrainconnection.com C. 1999 Scientific Learning Corporation

Let’s take a closer look at what happens inside the middle and inner ear: Eardrum When sound waves reach the eardrum, it vibrates. www.hearingcentral.com

These vibrations pass through the three bones in the middle ear Middle Ear Bones 1 2 3 Eardrum These 3 bones are the smallest bones in your body! www.hearingcentral.com

The smallest bone (called the Stirrup) moves rapidly against the window of the inner ear. Middle Ear Bones Stirrup Eardrum www.hearingcentral.com

This motion creates waves in the fluid of the inner ear. Middle Ear Bones Stirrup Inner Ear Eardrum Fluid www.hearingcentral.com

The inner ear (shown in blue) has two parts: The Semi-Circular Canals The Cochlea The Cochlea looks like a snail shell and is about the size of a pea. www.thebrainconnection.com C. 1999 Scientific Learning Corporation

The Cochlea is filled with fluid and lined with tiny hairs Vibrating Stirrup Bone When the Stirrup bone makes waves in the fluid, the little hairs convert those waves into electrical impulses. www.hearingcentral.com

your brain understands the signal and you hear! The electrical impulses are carried to your brain by the Auditory Nerve and … Inner Ear This way to the brain! Sound comes in Middle Ear your brain understands the signal and you hear! www.thebrainconnection.com C. 1999 Scientific Learning Corporation

Your ear is a fragile instrument, and can be easily damaged. Exposure to loud noise is one of the most common ways damage happens.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is caused by Being exposed one time to a very loud sound, or Being exposed to sounds over and over that are too loud It is not possible to “toughen up” your ears by listening to loud sounds!

What happens inside your ear when a noise is too loud? Tiny hairs The tiny hairs inside the inner ear are broken. Now they can’t send sound signals to your brain! www.hearingcentral.com; www.bsip.com © BSIP/JACOPIN

Could you speak up please? If too many tiny hairs get damaged, you will find yourself saying Huh? I can’t hear you Could you speak up please? A LOT! What?

So how can you keep your ears hearing properly?

Avoid hazardous sound environments. If you must raise your voice to be heard, you are in a potentially dangerous environment for your hearing. www.nascar.com

Cover your ears with your hands when walking past a jackhammer. Walk away from loud noises. Cross the street when you hear someone operating a leaf blower. Cover your ears with your hands when walking past a jackhammer.

Don’t stand by the source. If it is not possible to get away from the noise completely, limit its intensity by not standing directly near its source. Move away from speakers, monitors or amplifiers. Limit the time. If you are in a loud environment, take frequent 15-minute "quiet" breaks.

Wear protection. Wear earplugs or protective headphones when you’re around sounds of 85 dB and above.

Turn down your CD/cassette player, stereo or iPod. Turn down the volume. Turn down your CD/cassette player, stereo or iPod. www.wallcoo.net

Help Others Cover the ears of young children. Tell your family and friends about the dangers of loud noise.

Doing these things will help keep your ears healthy and strong! THE END

Clip Art Sources www.nasaexplores.com www.kidshealth.org www.thebrainconnection.com www.hearingcentral.com www.bsip.com www.nascar.com www.wallcoo.net