Departments
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Week of 30 April 1999 |
Vol. II, No. 33 |
Feature Article
Sargent College instructor spreads word about hearing loss among rockers
By David J. Craig
Jerry Sheehan (COM'95), a media technician at BU and a musician, discovered in 1996 that his hearing had been permanently damaged by years spent playing in rock bands. He immediately followed a doctor's advice and began wearing protective earplugs when he performed or attended concerts.
For Sheehan, who at the time was planning a career in sound engineering and had landed an internship with the Blue Man Group in Boston, the decision to start using earplugs required little soul-searching. He had noticed that a slight but constant ringing in his ears -- tinnitus -- was growing louder, and he was intent on stopping it from getting worse.
"I heard some horror stories at the Blue Man Group," says Sheehan, 25. "I knew of one guy with tinnitus who was contemplating suicide. He couldn't sleep or concentrate on anything because the noise in his ears was so loud."
Sheehan is fortunate he learned his lesson so promptly, according to Ann Dix, a clinical instructor at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and a licensed audiologist. Dix says that unlike Sheehan, whose tinnitus is mild enough to rarely bother him, many musicians and concertgoers ignore early signs of hearing loss and end up with damaged hearing.
"Music in concert halls can certainly damage hearing," Dix explains. "Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by one-time exposure to extremely loud sound or repeated exposure to sounds at high decibels. Both damage hair cells in the inner ear."
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), about 10 million Americans have irreversible noise-induced hearing loss. Repeated exposure to sounds of more than 75 decibels, which includes rock concerts, motorcycles, and heavy city traffic, is likely to cause hearing loss, according to NIDCD. Rock concerts typically produce levels of 90 to 120 decibels. About 12 million Americans have sought medical attention for tinnitus, which often accompanies noise-induced hearing loss, and in extreme cases can be completely disabling, according to the American Tinnitus Association.
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Ann Dix, a clinical instructor at Sargent College, examines the ears of Jerry Sheehan (COM'95), a media technician at BU. Sheehan, also a musician, suffers from tinnitus -- a constant ringing in his ears. Photo by Albert L'Etoile |
Dix and graduate students in the audiology program at Sargent College, where anyone can get a free hearing test, regularly fit musicians with special customized earplugs. The ER-15 or ER-25 earplugs, which are sold at Sargent for an at-cost fee of about $89, reduce high and low sound frequencies evenly by either 15 or 25 decibels. Inexpensive foam earplugs available in drug stores, on the other hand, are said to cut out mostly high frequencies and therefore produce a muffled sound.
Sheehan was fitted recently with a pair of the ER-25 plugs by Dix, and says the money was well spent. "Normal earplugs make everything sound distorted and really muddy," he explains. "That's a big reason musicians don't like to wear them. The musicians' earplugs cut everything straight across so the sound you get is natural."
However, many say the message on the need to wear ear protection at concerts has been slow to reach those most affected.
Brian Fligor, an audiology doctoral student at Sargent and a research assistant at ENG's Hearing Research Center and department of biomedical engineering, played in rock bands during high school. He never considered the damage he was doing to his hearing, he says, although he often heard buzzing in his ears after shows. Fligor suffers from mild hearing loss and intermittent ringing in his ears, and says he wears earplugs at concerts now, but that most people he knows do not.
"Rock and roll is about being bigger, louder, faster, and harder," says Fligor, 25. "I think I was aware that it could be a problem, but I just never took it seriously before I entered the audiology program. The whole attitude among musicians is, 'It won't happen to me.' That's a big problem."
The primary reason people resist wearing earplugs at concerts -- musicians and fans alike -- is not surprising, according to Dix. Basically, people enjoy loud music, she says, and in addition, the damage can be easily ignored because your body shows no tell-tale signs that it is occurring.
"The funny thing that makes music so different from other kinds of noise exposure is that humans actually like it loud," says Dix. "We're putting ourselves at risk when we do it, but we enjoy it and our body doesn't necessarily warn us. The signs can come afterwards."
Those signs include feeling a heavy sensation in the head and experiencing dulled hearing and ringing or pain in the ears. Dix says that if such symptoms persist long after a concert, one should seek medical attention. Using power tools and stereo headphones also can damage hearing, she adds.
Dix tested the hearing of 22 faculty and staff at Sargent College in April and found that nearly three-quarters, mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, have significant hearing loss. About 90 percent was attributable to recreational noise, according to Dix.
Sargent College Dean Alan Jette was one of them. He is an avid woodworker and admits he is not in the habit of wearing ear protection,
"Especially in crowded rooms, I've noticed recently that I have trouble hearing conversations," says Jette, 48. "Ann Dix suggested wearing earplugs while I work."
Many recreational activities produce noise levels that can be damaging to hearing after repeated exposure, but Dix believes the most harmful misconception among young people today may be the belief that there is no risk in listening to loud music without ear protection.
"I think people go to concerts and don't see anyone wearing earplugs, and they think that means it's all right not to wear them," says Dix. She adds that while musicians may prefer more expensive models, foam earplugs are very effective. "I see more and more people wearing earplugs," she says. "But a majority of people at concerts still don't wear them."
Sheehan, however, feels optimistic. "Most musicians still say, 'Hurting our hearing is part of what we do,' and they chalk it up to that," he says. "But one other person in my band is starting to wear earplugs. I think those who want to have a future in music are starting to pay attention."