Why you should wear ear protection

The Noise Shirt

The Noise Shirt is a machine washable, wirelessly rechargeable garment that measures ambient sound via an LED equalizer bar on the chest. 

An embedded microphone measures the environmental noise level and displays it as a vertical 5 step EQ bar, in which the top two lights represent noiselevels beyond recommended limits for hearing protection. A small lithium-polymer battery in the shirt contains a wireless recharging induction loop in the neck tab which, when conjoined with an inductive coil on the shirt's specially designed coat hanger, will recharge the shirt in about three hours. 

The next step is to add a mobile user interface to the device in order to access outside services and applications, giving it functionality beyond reminding everyone at the next Mudvayne show that they'll eventually be going deaf.

Info from EnGadget

Is Noise-induced hearing loss preventable?

NIHL is 100 percent preventable. All individuals should understand the hazards of noise and how to practice good hearing health in everyday life. To protect your hearing:

• Know which noises can cause damage (those at or above 85 decibels).
• Wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices when involved in a loud activity.
• Be alert to hazardous noise in the environment.
• Protect the ears of children who are too young to protect their own.
• Make family, friends, and colleagues aware of the hazards of noise.
• If you suspect hearing loss, have a medical examination by an otolaryngologist (a physician who specializes in diseases of the ears, nose, throat, head, and neck) and a hearing test by an audiologist (a health professional trained to measure and help individuals deal with hearing loss).

Info from National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Image from Contaminacion auditiva

What is Noise-induced hearing loss?

It's loss of hearing caused by exposure to loud noises. When exposed to loud noise the tiny hairs inside the ear (more specifically the cochlea) are damaged. These hairs can repair themselves if only a small amount of damage is done, however over time repeated exposure to loud noise can cause permanent damage. It can be caused by a one-time exposure to an intense “impulse” sound, such as an explosion, or by continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time, such as noise generated in a woodworking shop.

People of all ages, including children, teens, young adults and older people, can develop Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Exposure occurs in the workplace, in recreational settings and at home. Recreational activities that can put someone at risk of NIHL include target shooting and hunting, woodworking, listening to or playing loud music and other hobbies. Harmful noises at home can come from music, lawnmowers, leafblowers and other power tools.

Info from National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Image from Action on Hearing Loss

Dress gives vibrotactile feedback to help those with hearing loss

Here is one interesting example of clothes that are more than just expensive ways to cover our nakedness. 

With the rapid advancement of mobile, flexible, and even plant-based technologies, clothing has become yet another medium upon which to explore the limits both of science and fashion. Wearable technology has really started to come into its own, with fashion designers and engineers collaborating to imagine where their fields might overlap in the not-so-distant future. While the idea of energy-generating shoes and gloves embedded with LED turn signals might sound far-fetched, the reality is that wearable technologies are already helping to make our world a cleaner, healthier place.

FLUTTER dress for the hearing impaired

For those who are partially or fully deaf, independent living can be a challenge. Hearing aids, lip reading and sign language ensure that hearing impaired are able to communicate with those around them, but being unable to hear environmental sounds can be dangerous. Finding a way to alert hearing impaired individuals to warning sounds in their surroundings would enable them to safely venture out into the world without constant supervision.

Flutter is a perfect example of the way textiles and robotics can be combined to improve the quality of life for disabled individuals. Created by Halley Profita, Nicholas Farrow, and Professor Nikolaus Correll at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Flutter dress gives vibrotactile feedback in the direction of a loud sound or alarm to help those with hearing loss respond more intuitively to their external environment. The team also says that development of this wearable technology would also cut down on e-waste created by discarded hearing devices.

Info from Tree Huger

How MP3 players can cause hearing loss

IPods and other portable music devices have changed the way many people listen to music. As the popularity of these devices continues to rise, hearing experts worry that the number of people with hearing loss will become as commonplace as the devices themselves.

Hearing experts are concerned that hearing loss will take place because exposure to music through these devices can be both loud and long. With the new MP3 players, such as the iPod, significant improvements in sound quality are possible in smaller and more portable devices. Sound quality, portability and convenience translate into more time spent listening to music, which makes the potential for damage even greater.

"With the older devices, like the Walkman, if you turned them up all the way, they sounded very bad, so people didn't do it. Now, they don't sound bad at maximum volume, and that could pose a problem," says Jodi Cook, Ph.D., director of the hearing aid program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Although any hearing loss that occurs may not be apparent for years, once that damage occurs, it's permanent and irreversible.

How MP3 players can cause hearing loss

Music and other loud noises cause hearing loss by damaging the hair cells in the cochlea, a part of your inner ear that helps transmit sound information to your brain. These hair cells can often recover from temporary damage. If you've ever been to a rock concert and your hearing sounded muffled for the next day or two, you've experienced temporary damage to these hair cells.

But extremely loud noise, such as a gunshot, or moderately loud noise that continues for long periods of time, can permanently damage these hair cells. Once these hairs are destroyed, they don't come back and at least partial hearing loss occurs. About 30 million Americans currently have some hearing loss and approximately one-third of them have noise-induced hearing loss.

Any sound above 90 decibels (db) may cause some hearing loss if the exposure is prolonged. But most portable music players can produce sounds up to 120 db. That's louder than a lawn mower or a chain saw and equivalent to an ambulance siren.

The problem is that you don't feel hearing loss occurring. You won't know until years later that some of your hearing has been permanently destroyed.

Info from Riverside

Music is the soundtrack to our lives

Music is the soundtrack to our lives. BUT every time you listen to loud music for too long, you increase the risk of damaging your hearing.

If your exposure to loud music is repeated regularly, the damage could be permanent.

Remember - M.U.S.I.C.