Abstract
High sound levels capable of permanently damaging the ear are experienced not only in factories and war zones but in concert halls, nightclubs, sports stadiums, and many other leisure environments. This review summarizes evidence that loud music and other forms of “leisure noise” are common causes of noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, even if audiometric thresholds initially remain within clinically normal limits. Given the huge global burden of preventable noise-induced hearing loss, noise limits should be adopted in a much broader range of settings, and education to promote hearing conservation should be a higher public health priority.
Highlights
Similar results on a different sample of 139 Swedish professional rock/pop/jazz musicians were published by Kähäri et al [112]: 49% had a permanent audiometric threshold shifts (PTS) in the conventional frequency range, and 74% reported tinnitus, hyperacusis, and/or diplacusis
The Opera House appealed the verdict, claiming that the artistic value of the music meant that some hearing damage to its performers was inevitable and justifiable, but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal, which maintained that the orchestra pit should be subject to the same noise regulations as a factory floor
High sound levels were subsequently recorded in nightclubs in Singapore [152], the U.K. [153], South Korea [154], the U.S.A. [155], Germany [156], and Potier et al [158] studied the hearing of 29 young professional disc jockeys (DJs) who worked in French clubs for an average of 6 years
Summary
Despite the NIOSH and EPA recommendations, the U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) [16] enforces a substantially higher 8-hour exposure limit of 90 dB(A), with a 5 dB exchange (Figure 1). This means, for example, that the OSHA permitted exposure limit (PEL) for a TWA level of 100 dB(A) is 2 h daily, 8 times longer than the NIOSH REL of 15 min. 3. Loud Music and Leisure Noise Is a Common Cause of Permanent Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis. Note that the list is not exhaustive; many of our contraptions can generate sound levels that potentially (depending on the SPL, exposure duration, etc.) pose risks to unprotected ears (e.g., fireworks, power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hand driers, blenders, etc.)
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