Issue 23.15
“I love listening to music all the time and kind of loud sometimes to drown everything,” said a Utah teen. It’s a way of life for the average teen.
“(I listen to music) almost every day for a few hours, like when I go to the gym,” said another local teenager.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization warned that 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to recreational noise such as unsafe use of personal audio devices, smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues like nightclubs, bars and sporting events.
Sreekant Cherukuri, a specialist in treating ear, nose and throat, told NBC News that using iPods and (smartphones) was probably the largest cause of hearing loss in millennials.
The Indiana doctor estimated hearing loss among today’s teens is about 30 percent higher than in the 1980s and 1990s.
“You (once) had a Walkman with two AA batteries and headphone thongs that went over your ears,” Cherukuri told NBC News. “At high volume, the sound was so distorted and the battery life was poor. Nowadays, we have smartphones that are extremely complex computers with high-level fidelity.”
Hearing loss occurs because the inner ear repeatedly gets pounded with sounds over 85 decibels.
“You’d be surprised at how soft 85 decibels is, said Kimball B Forbes, Clinical Audiologist in Southern Utah. People at a rock concert are exposed to at least 100 decibels, and sometimes even up to 120 decibels.”
Data from studies in middle- and high-income countries analyzed by WHO indicate that among teenagers and young adults ages 12 to 35, nearly 50 percent are exposed to unsafe levels of sound from the use of personal audio devices, and around 40 percent are exposed to potentially damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues.
This type of hearing loss is 100 percent preventable. There are things people can do to continue to enjoy themselves without putting their hearing at risk.
Another recommendation is using the 60-60 rule — keeping the volume under 60 percent at a maximum of 60 minutes a day.
Call 435-688-8866 for a hearing evaluation with an audiologist if you suspect possible noise damage from guns or music.
Kimball B. Forbes, MCD, has been in the St. George area for the past 27 years and is a co-owner of Advanced Hearing & Balance Specialists. His wife’s name is Jonna and they are the proud parents of 8 children and 4 grandchildren. Kimball is passionate and enjoys helping to build better relationships through better hearing. He is the longest tenured Audiologist in southern Utah. In his early years in practice in southern Utah and Nevada, he established 11 hearing clinics which are thriving today under his direction and leadership. Kimball graduated with his Master’s of Communication Disorders in Audiology from Brigham Young University in 1982. He specializes in:
Hearing Aid Sales, Service and Counseling Specialist
Earmold and Hearing Protection Specialist
Diagnostic Medical Hearing Assessments for Adults and Children