EB News April-May 2013 - Electric Boat Corporation

KEEP A PAIRFOR FUTUREWEARHEALTHMATTERSBy Carol Kisner, Au.DElectric Boat AudiologistIam referring to earmuffs or any otherform of hearing-protection device. Sincemost of us are creatures of habit, if wemake hearing protection easily availablewe are likely to use it when necessary.Take our last blizzard. How manyof us were using snow blowers? Thesemachines run well above the noise levelthat can damage our hearing. And manyof us were exposed to hours of hazardousnoise during this one storm. If wehad hearing protection located on or nearthe snow blower, we would likely haveremembered to use it.What we do in our lives outside of workcan expose us to hearing damage withoutour knowing it. Have you been to anaction movie lately? Wow, are they loud– and I don’t see anyone wearing hearingprotection. Who would think you’re gettingdosed with loud hazardous noise byjust going to a movie? Some movie goerswill even experience a muffled dull sensationor ear ringing when the film is over.Did you ever notice how high you raisethe volume on your car radio when youhave the window open? Just think of theamount of loud noise that is reaching yourear through the combination of wind noiseand radio noise.In October 2008, the National Instituteon Deafness and Other CommunicationDisorders (NIDCD), part of the NationalInstitutes of Health, launched “It’s a NoisyPlanet. Protect Their Hearing.” The NoisyPlanet campaign is designed to increaseawareness among parents of children ages8 to 12 (“tweens”) about the causes andprevention of noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL). With this information, parentsand other caring adults can encouragechildren to adopt healthy habits that willhelp them protect their hearing for life.NIDCD is focusing its campaign on theparents of tweens because children at thisage are becoming more independent anddeveloping their own attitudes and habitsrelated to their health. They also arebeginning to develop their own listening,leisure and work habits. Consequently,the tween years present an opportunity toeducate children about their hearing andhow to protect it.When parents, teachers, or supervisorson the job remind us about protecting ourhearing, hopefully we listen. Don’t let itbe too late to get the message. Hearingloss from noise damages the sensitivenerves in the hearing organ. Once thosenerves have been damaged the hearingcannot be naturally restored. NIHL iscompletely preventable. Yet approximately26 million Americans between theages of 20 and 69 have high-frequencyhearing loss from overexposure to loudnoises at or outside of work. More than 30million Americans are exposed to dangerouslevels of noise on a regular basisaccording to the NIDCD.What can you do to ensure you aresufficiently protected against potentiallydamaging noise?The way hearing-protection devices fitour ears is critical to their effectiveness.Here a few helpful tips to make sure youare inserting your earplugs correctly.1.Roll the entire earplug as small asyou can. Be careful not to put anyridges in the earplug. You must apply a sufficientamount of pressure to get the earplugsmall enough for insertion. You can use twohands or roll the plug between your palms.Reach around your head with your2. opposite hand, grab the middle toupper portion of your outer ear and pull.This will open your ear canal for insertionof the plug. You must continue to roll theplug in the hand you are going to use toinsert the plug to keep it compressed theentire time.Insert the plug in your ear as far as3. it will go. You may feel a twinge.This means you have reached the boneyportion of your ear canal – you are nottouching your eardrum. The earplug cansit against that bone without causing anydiscomfort or danger. You do not need tohold the plug in your ear.To assess the fit, look in a mirror4. if possible. The plug should notbe hanging out of your ear canal; onlya small portion of the plug should be12 12 | | ELECTRIC BOAT NEWS | | APRIL/MAY FEBRUARY 2012 2013