Summer is finally here, and you’re ready for all those things we’ve been looking forward to: swimming in the pool, visiting the beach, and a few activities that may damage your hearing. You may find yourself in environmental situations or subjected to other loud sounds this summer that are hidden dangers to your hearing. Any noises above 80 decibels can cause harm to your hearing, while swimming in pools or other bodies of water can cause lasting loss of hearing. You need to take preventative measures and be conscious of your environment in order to safeguard your hearing this summer season. Here are 6 of the summer’s hidden hearing hazards.
Use Ear Protection at Concerts
Whether you’re at an indoor venue or an outdoor show venue you still need to wear hearing protection during concerts. Concerts can have volumes that are over 90 decibels, even at outdoor concerts, which is inside of the danger zone of hearing loss. That’s the reason it’s always a smart idea to wear earplugs regardless of whether you’re seeing a concert indoors or outdoors. You can still hear the sounds with earplugs it’s just dampened a little. If you’re going to a concert with young children, consider getting them a heavy duty pair of earmuffs since their ears are much more delicate 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. This is not about the skilled 4th of July displays, we mean the backyard fireworks which every summertime cause hundreds of injuries. Home fireworks reach decibel levels of nearly 155 which can injure your ears along with causing hand problems, loss of sight and home fires. This year, on the 4th of July, appreciate the show from a distance and leave the fireworks to the pro’s.
Mowers Can Bring About Hearing Loss
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 sign that your hearing has taken damage. That’s because the lawn tools, which are constantly loud, have a slow and steady impact on your hearing. You’ve likely noticed landscapers wearing some kind of hearing protection, you should take a hint from them and use earmuffs or earplugs next time you work on your lawn to ensure your hearing doesn’t get injured.
How to Safeguard Your Ears at Beaches And Pools
Huge numbers of people suffer from swimmer’s ear each summer, which occurs when the ear canal traps water which has to much bacteria. The bacteria will then infect the ear, triggering painful earaches and swelling. It’s not just lakes and rivers that have these bacteria, they can also be found in hot tubs and pools if they aren’t cleaned and treated properly. No lasting injury should happen if you get your ears examined by a hearing professional. To be safe, when your swimming in your pool, use special swimmers earplugs and keep the chemical balance correct to lessen the chance of getting swimmers ear.
Water Sports And Boats
Summertime is a breath of freedom for those individuals who enjoy being in a boat on the water, taking in the fresh lake breeze or the salty air of the ocean. But, jet ski and boat engines are usually noisy,we’re talking more than 100 decibels. Lasting hearing impairment can be the result after only 15 minutes of exposure to that much noise. In this situation also, using a pair of disposable foam earplugs is a smart idea.
Car Races Can Injure Your Ears
It doesn’t make a difference what kind of auto racing you enjoy, midget, Formula 1, drag racing, motorcycle Formula 1. If you go to many auto-races this summer, they all pose a peril. It’s estimated that sound levels can exceed 120 decibels at many races, which is definitely in the danger zone for hearing injury. As pointed out before, your children should wear muffs whereas you should wear earplugs at the very least. Otherwise, you might not get to enjoy the sound of those engines as you get older.