Hearing loss also concern in youths

Bang the drum. Crash the cymbals. Let the trumpets squeal. Those daily school band rehearsals may be making a musician of the child, but as one mother asked, "Is it damaging his hearing?"

Maybe. Hearing loss — long associated with rock concerts, iPods, noisy machinery and the like — also is a concern for those playing in a band or orchestra, experts say.

"The ear is not a sophisticated listener," said Dr. Paul Pessis, a doctor of clinical audiology and spokesman for the American Academy of Audiology in Reston, Va.

It doesn't matter how sweet or interesting the sound is, loud is loud. Sounds, even musical sounds, that are too loud or long can damage the hearing.

Called noise-induced hearing loss, it's more than not hearing well. It's also tinnitus — an intermittent or constant ringing, fizzing or roaring in the ears. Both problems are directly related to noise exposure. The more noise there is and the earlier exposures start, the sooner ears will fail. Hearing experts agree NIHL is showing up at earlier ages.

Although there's no safety standard for children, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has one for adults in the workplace. It holds that one can tolerate 85 decibels for an eight-hour workday. As noise levels increase, exposure times go down. At 90 dB, time is halved to four hours; at 95 dB, it's halved again to two hours.

Band rooms often are in the 70 or 80 dB range, Pessis said. Students going to band practice for a half-hour or an hour of music a day probably are going to be fine, Pessis said. But that's assuming band is all they are doing.

Add iPod listening before and after school, noisy gyms and cafeterias, maybe lawn mowing, riding motorcycles, ATVs or snowmobiles after school, then a school dance or taking in a game at the stadium, and the hearing assaults add up. Children can easily exceed the OSHA standard in a day's worth of activities.

But even if music rooms go over 100 dB, and they do, that doesn't automatically mean a child's hearing is being harmed if they are in the room for more than the OSHA-recommended 15 minutes. Music, unlike many other noises, is intermittent. It's loud, then quiet, and there are breaks between songs.

Furthermore, exposure depends on where the child sits. Being in front of percussion or brass sections can be a problem. Practicing an amplified instrument is more of an issue than a nonamplified one. Genetics also plays a role. The same noise exposure can affect one person more than another.

By the time symptoms show (hearing loss or tinnitus), the damage can be extensive and irreversible. There is no cure for NIHL. A hearing aid doesn't restore hearing, it only assists in hearing.

The only way to avoid NIHL is to prevent it. Noise protection, or hearing conservation, should be part of life for everybody, experts say.