Summer has finally arrived, and it’s time for all those things we’ve been getting excited about: swimming in the pool, visiting the beach, and other activities that could injure your hearing. You may find yourself in external situations or subjected to other loud sounds this summer that are hidden dangers to your hearing. Any noises over 80 decibels could lead to injury to your hearing, while enduring hearing loss can happen in pools or other bodies of water. You have to take precautions and be mindful of your environment so that you can safeguard your hearing this summer season. Here are six of the summer’s hidden hearing hazards.
Use Ear Protection at Concerts
Whether you’re at an indoor arena or an outdoor show venue you still should use ear protection during live music. 90 decibels is inside the danger zone for hearing injury and live music reaches this level even at outdoor venues. So regardless of whether you’re attending an outside or inside shows, it’s a practical idea to wear earplugs. You can still hear the tunes with earplugs in it’s just dampened slightly. If you’re going to a show with young children, consider getting them a heavy duty pair of earmuffs since their ears are much more vulnerable than those of adults.
It’s More Than Just Loud at Fireworks
Honestly, there are a lot of reasons to avoid fireworks in the summer. It’s not just the 4th of July shows that are pro that can hurt your ears, we mean the backyard fireworks which every summertime cause many of accidents. Backyard fireworks reach decibel levels of over 155 which can injure your ears on top of causing hand problems, blindness and home fires. This 4th of July, leave the fireworks to the professionals and enjoy the display from a protected and sound distance.
Lawnmowers Can Bring About Loss of Hearing
If you love to take care of your yard, your edger, trimmer, and mower are your best friends. But that muffled sensation in your ears is a signal that your ears have taken damage. That’s because the constant noise from your lawn tools have a slow and steady impact on your hearing. If you’ve ever observed lawn care pro’s, you probably have noticed them utilizing hearing protection, you should take a hint from them and wear earplugs or earmuffs next time you attend to your yard to ensure your ears stay healthy.
Pools And Beaches, What You Should do to Protect Your Hearing
Millions of people suffer from swimmer’s ear each summer, which occurs when bacteria-laden water gets stuck in your ear canal. The bacteria then infects the ear, triggering painful earaches and swelling. It’s not just lakes and rivers that hold these bacteria, they can also be found in hot tubs and pools if they aren’t cleaned and treated properly. But if you have your ears treated by a hearing expert you should be fine, and no permanent hearing loss will occur. To be safe, when your swimming in your pool, use special swimmers earplugs and keep the chemical balance precise to minimize the chance of getting swimmers ear.
Boats and Other Water Sports
Summertime is a taste of freedom for those individuals who enjoy being in a boat on the water, smelling the fresh lake breeze or the salty air of the ocean. But, jet ski and boat engines are usually loud,they can get up to more than 100 decibels. Lasting hearing injury can happen after only 15 minutes of exposure to that much noise. Once again, it’s really in your best interests to use a pair of throw away, foam earplugs when you’re out on the water to make sure you don’t inadvertently injure your ears.
Your Ears Can be Damaged by Car Races
It doesn’t matter what type of auto racing you like, motorcycle, midget, Formula 1, drag racing or stock cars. If you attend many auto-races this year, they all present a risk. It’s estimated that sound levels can exceed 120 decibels at certain races, which is absolutely inside the danger zone for hearing impairment. Earplugs are your best bet at these races, although your children should probably use the earmuffs which were mentioned earlier. Otherwise, you may not get to enjoy the sound of those engines as you get older.
