Protect Your Hearing This July 4th

(Rockville, MD) Preparations are underway across the country for the July 4th holiday, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is issuing a simple reminder: Enjoy Independence Day safely.

Fireworks, firecrackers, and holiday parades and concerts can reach noise levels loud enough to inflict permanent hearing damage, according to the association. Luckily, by taking some easy precautionary steps, you can still enjoy these activities and keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Any exposure to excessively loud noise can cause hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is preventable, but once it occurs, it’s irreversible. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 billion young people ages 12–35 globally are at risk of hearing loss due to recreational exposure to loud sounds. However, people of any age are susceptible.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Three factors contribute to noise-induced hearing loss:

• how loud the noise is
• how close you are to the noise
• how long you hear the noise

Sounds at 70 decibels (dB) or lower are generally safe to listen to for an extended period of time. Sounds at 80 dB (for adults) or 75 dB (for children) can lead to hearing loss if you listen to them for more than 8 hours at a time.

Sounds over 85 decibels can damage your hearing faster. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dB. For example, you can listen to sounds at 85 dB for up to 8 hours. If the sound goes up to 88 dB, then it is safe to listen to those same sounds for 4 hours. If the sound goes up to 91 dB, then your safe listening time goes down to just 2 hours.

Instantaneous Damage

A single loud blast or explosion that lasts less than 1 second can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss. This noise—called impulse noise or impact noise—can come from fireworks. Impulse noise is measured in decibel peak pressure (dBP). Impulse noise greater than 140 dBP will instantly hurt a person’s hearing. Fireworks and firecrackers that are set off 3 feet from the listener can measure 150 dBP. This is considered painful to the ears—and it well exceeds a safe listening level of 75–80 dB.

Tips for Protecting Yourself

ASHA recommends the following easy but effective steps this July 4th:

1. Keep your distance. Stay at least 500 feet away from a fireworks launch site, speaker, or other source of loud noise.
2. Use hearing protection. Foam earplugs are available in drug stores and online. These are inexpensive and easy to use. For children, use well-fitting “earmuff”-style protection that fully covers the ears.
3. Take breaks. If you are in a noisy area for an extended period of time, step away for a few minutes every hour to give your ears a chance to recover.
4. Pay attention to warning signs. Ringing in the ears (called tinnitus) or feelings of fullness in the ears are signs of overexposure. If these symptoms last into the next day, go to an audiologist for a hearing evaluation. If you feel pain in your ears during an event, leave immediately.

For more information about hearing loss and where to find an audiologist near you, visit www.asha.org/public.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 241,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.