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3.1 Information on hearing loss
More and more young people suffer from hearing loss of 5 decibel or more, mainly caused by loud
music from portable music players, discotheques, rock conocerts or band rehersals. Everybody
operating amplification systems should know to what sound pressure levels he exposes his or the
audience’s hearing. As an average levels between 75 and 105 dB(A) in the discotheque or 95 and
115 dB(A) at a rock concert are reached. Individual peaks can exceed the pain level at 130 dB(A).
Such levels are typical for motor chainsaws or jack hammers.
It is important to know that doubling the power increases the noise level by 3 dB. The human hearing
does only recognizes a doubling of the sound level when the noise level is increased by 10 dB. Dam-
aging the hearing does not depend on the sound level but on the noise level and starts way before
the pain level.
Many people deceive themselves by thinking that noise is something they can get accustomed to.
It is possible that a positive opinion of a certain noise can reduce the physiological reaction, but the
slow impacts on the inner hearing must not be neglected: over stimulation and continuous elimination
of the Cortic organ’s hair cells.
The reason why some people have got accustomed to a certain noise level and are no longer dis-
turbed is that they have already suffered a hearing damage. This damage make the insensitive to
those frequencies forming the loudest part of the noise. Getting accustomed to noise does not mean
anything other than trying to get along with the hearing loss in everyday life. The hearing loss itself
cannot be healed, it can only be compensated by hearing aids.
Subjectively, the hearing loss feels like dampened ears. This effect weakens with the time, but a loss
in hearing sensitivity often remains.
In order to relax the hearing sufficiently, the noise level should not exceed 70 dB(A) for 10 hours.
Higher noise levels during this relaxing period can prevent the relaxation and promote a permanent
hearing damage (Tinitus) or hearing loss.
Therefore:
Whoever wants to maintain his hearing should use hearing protectors!
