ArlyA
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Young and old need to protect one hearing and limbs. I'm skeptical loud machines does not damage some peoples hearing.
Tree cutting accident
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MossRoad
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Hearing loss is cumulative. 
I sincerely wish that I would have worn more hearing protection in my youth. I used to shoot competitively, operate power equipment, work around jet and piston aircraft, drive loud cars and motorcycles, and, unbelievably... listen to really loud rock music.
I never really noticed it. However, when I started working at the newspaper in 1987, one of the first things they did was test my hearing to get a baseline. I already had significant, measurable hearing loss at age 26. Fortunately, they require hearing protection in all of the production areas and I took advantage of that for the next 30 years. And, they tested hearing and recorded the results every 2 years. So I could monitor any further losses. They were minimal from that point on, but the damage was already done. From that point on I always wore hearing protection at work AND at home when doing anything with elevated noise levels, even if only for a brief amount of time. I have over the head headphones and several bags of foam ear plugs in convenient locations. They are simple to use, you can hear noises around you, they don't cause any discomfort, and there's really no excuse to not use them. Just like safety glasses.
I'll tell you this young folks... once your hearing declines, it never comes back. And if you don't continue to protect it, it'll only get worse.
I sincerely wish that I would have worn more hearing protection in my youth. I used to shoot competitively, operate power equipment, work around jet and piston aircraft, drive loud cars and motorcycles, and, unbelievably... listen to really loud rock music.
I never really noticed it. However, when I started working at the newspaper in 1987, one of the first things they did was test my hearing to get a baseline. I already had significant, measurable hearing loss at age 26. Fortunately, they require hearing protection in all of the production areas and I took advantage of that for the next 30 years. And, they tested hearing and recorded the results every 2 years. So I could monitor any further losses. They were minimal from that point on, but the damage was already done. From that point on I always wore hearing protection at work AND at home when doing anything with elevated noise levels, even if only for a brief amount of time. I have over the head headphones and several bags of foam ear plugs in convenient locations. They are simple to use, you can hear noises around you, they don't cause any discomfort, and there's really no excuse to not use them. Just like safety glasses.
I'll tell you this young folks... once your hearing declines, it never comes back. And if you don't continue to protect it, it'll only get worse.
MossRoad
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Well, seems like I picked the winners in occupations...... I used to shoot competitively, operate power equipment, work around jet and piston aircraft, drive loud cars and motorcycles, and, unbelievably... listen to really loud rock music.
...
From here:
Are Some People More Prone to Hearing Loss than Others? - Brentwood Hearing Center
We often associate hearing loss with aging, but not everyone who's over a certain age has poor hearing.
brentwoodhearingcenter.com
"avoiding occupations and entertainment which expose your ears to excessive noise, including: rock concerts, sporting events, riding motorcycles, shooting firearms and working around aircraft. Don’t forget to turn the volume down when you listen to music!"
I suspect that like anything, some people are affected by loud noises more than others. When we used to use a cordwood saw behind the tractor my father, brother and I all used to wear hearing protection. My BIL didn't. Yet his hearing is better than any of ours. I've had ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember, and certain high pitches really bother my ears. Certain sound systems in the 1980's had a squeal which some people didn't notice; yet would drive me nuts. There was one department store chain which I couldnt even go into, because of the high frequency noise. Riding through my neighborhood or pulling into our driveway I could tell when a TV eas turned on, just from the squeal it emitted.
I learned not to mention it though, as I got tired of all of the smartazz comments about dog whistles.
One convenience store chain has a very obnoxious alarm which goes off every time that the door opens. I mentioned it to a manager once who basically said. "Too bad."
She watched me walk out the door, get into my truck and drive to their competition next door. With the exception of one store which soesnt use the alarm, I haven't done business with that chain since that day... in 20 years.
I learned not to mention it though, as I got tired of all of the smartazz comments about dog whistles.
One convenience store chain has a very obnoxious alarm which goes off every time that the door opens. I mentioned it to a manager once who basically said. "Too bad."
She watched me walk out the door, get into my truck and drive to their competition next door. With the exception of one store which soesnt use the alarm, I haven't done business with that chain since that day... in 20 years.
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JamesHW
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I also hear high frequency sounds a lot of people can’t hear and yes, we had a cheap stereo that I couldn’t stand the noise when it was turned on. Funny thing, I went to a bunch of rock concerts including a couple of days in front of the speakers at Woodstock. Later I worked crowd security in front of the stage for a whole passel of bands…The Who, Procul Harem, Led Zeppelin, Spirit, the Dead, Alice Cooper, etc and later did 4 years working as an investigator for a couple of air cargo outfits at SFO spending time around 747 & DC 8 cargo planes (pressure tests for replaced door seals were the loudest). For some reason my hearing was spared.
Creamer
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I am very diligent about wearing hearing protection when things seem loud - like around the stamping presses or other nooisy manufacturing environments. I just do not find my saw very loud. I find it interesting that others do find their saws to be loud. I am not sure why my old saw would quiter than any other saw - it is just a standard saw with the same muffler on it for the last thrity years.
I am very safety conscious of real safety issues but I do think that some people have gone overboard just like they have with safety glasses. There are a lot of manufacturing jobs that there is virtually no risk to the eyes - probably a lot less than a standard kitchen yet safety glasses are automatic. I just wonder if some people have "more robust" hearing in that some things do not bother them as much as other people and if so do we protect to the lowest level out there or do we all draw our own conclusions?
I am very safety conscious of real safety issues but I do think that some people have gone overboard just like they have with safety glasses. There are a lot of manufacturing jobs that there is virtually no risk to the eyes - probably a lot less than a standard kitchen yet safety glasses are automatic. I just wonder if some people have "more robust" hearing in that some things do not bother them as much as other people and if so do we protect to the lowest level out there or do we all draw our own conclusions?
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ning
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I have no idea why but I managed to get tinnitus in both ears. Basically I hear high-pressure static all the time. I've usually protected my hearing doing loud things. I did have a ear canal issue for a while which may've had something to do with it all, who knows. Then, having this one straw/twig decoration above our bed on the wall fall down in the middle of the night and score a hole-in-one to puncture my left eardrum - no kidding, not recommended - has also reduced the hearing in the left ear. I'm fine with conversations for the most part, but if I'm lying on my right ear in bed I can't understand my wife's speech from the left ear only now though I can still hear most things well enough.
I used to have super sensitive hearing, I'd hear a high-pitched whine from the dimmer switch that my kids couldn't hear, stuff like that. Always had trouble with noise in restaurants and other crowded areas, so at least my experience with crowds hasn't changed - couldn't hear then because of the jumble of noises, and now there's jumble of noises plus static.
I used to have super sensitive hearing, I'd hear a high-pitched whine from the dimmer switch that my kids couldn't hear, stuff like that. Always had trouble with noise in restaurants and other crowded areas, so at least my experience with crowds hasn't changed - couldn't hear then because of the jumble of noises, and now there's jumble of noises plus static.
MossRoad
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I have an app called Tone Generator: Audio Sound HZ by TMSOFT on my iPad. You can adjust it from 20HZ to 22,000HZ in 1 HZ increments. Pretty interesting.
I can still hear down to 20HZ. I can hear up to about 11,750 HZ and then it starts dropping off dramatically. Comes back on at 12,100 HZ, and then starts dropping off again. I can notice it up to 20,000 HZ if the room is completely quiet and I have headphones in, but it is so faint that I wouldn't notice it above my tinnitus (which is REALLY loud almost always and at around 5900 HZ today) unless I was specifically testing for it. I really have to listen for anything over about that 12K.
I can still hear down to 20HZ. I can hear up to about 11,750 HZ and then it starts dropping off dramatically. Comes back on at 12,100 HZ, and then starts dropping off again. I can notice it up to 20,000 HZ if the room is completely quiet and I have headphones in, but it is so faint that I wouldn't notice it above my tinnitus (which is REALLY loud almost always and at around 5900 HZ today) unless I was specifically testing for it. I really have to listen for anything over about that 12K.
MossRoad
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That's a pretty good description of what most people call tinnitus. Most folks that have it report 3000-8000 HZ range. Mine is usually around 5500 to 6000. It's there almost all of the time. If it bothers me at night when I'm wanting to sleep, I just pop in memories of sleep at my parents' house as a kid, with the windows open and the cicadas song at night. I smile and fall asleep pretty quickly.
It's not that I can't hear... often I just can't understand especially when there's a lot of background noise.
The first time I took a hearing test was in a soundproof booth at a paper mill. I am relatively sure that some of the things I reacted to were the backup beeper of a nearby forklift or other machine.
The first time I took a hearing test was in a soundproof booth at a paper mill. I am relatively sure that some of the things I reacted to were the backup beeper of a nearby forklift or other machine.