Nearly one million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing. Some of these people are born deaf, have gone deaf through illness or infection, or with age. However, some of these people have gone deaf or had their hearing impaired by external noise. This type of hearing loss is known as conductive hearing loss, meaning that sounds from outside aren't being effectively transmitted to the cochlea (the sound receptor in the ear).



Unfortunately our modern world is quite noisy - it is noisy in the street, at work and even in the home. If you have never thought before about how everyday sounds could be damaging your hearing, then here are some examples of the common causes of hearing damage and how you can prevent damage impairing your own hearing.

Sound is measured in decibels: the higher the number of decibels the louder the noise. Your ear can only endure high decibel levels for a certain length of time. At the lower end of the sound spectrum you will find noise such as a motorcycle engines, lawn mowers or hairdryers. All of these sounds measure around 90 decibels and can be endured by the ear for around 8 hours. However, it is unwise to push your ear to this limit for any extended period of time.

Chainsaws or car engines measure around 110 decibels. These sounds can only be realistically endured for 2 hours before they begin to affect your hearing. This really isn't very long. If you work with this type of machinery, have your head under the hood of a car throughout the day, or are involved with anything with a similar volume level you will need to take regular breaks. If these levels of noise are in a work environment, there are likely to be Health and Safety guidelines in effect. However, if you are working with such equipment in your own home, you certainly need to be aware of the potential damage that prolonged exposure to these levels of noise can cause.

Rock concerts and nightclubs are around 125 decibels, which is extremely loud and can be very bad for your hearing. Hardly anyone who goes to a club on a regular basis seems to be aware of the damage being done to their hearing. Most people stay all night at such events whereas these sound levels can only realistically be tolerated safely for around 15 minutes. If you are unlucky enough to work in such an environment then you really are going to have to think long and hard about the damage that could be caused to your hearing.

Finally pneumatic drills, aeroplanes taking off, and sirens give off an amazing 140 decibels. This volume of noise can only be tolerated for a couple of minutes at a time. Once again if you work in the vicinity of these noisy machines, there will almost certainly be guidelines in place. With most loud machinery you will probably be required to wear protective headphones in order to minimise the amount of damage that can be done. This does not just apply for machinery such as pneumatic drills, but also some of the 'quieter' examples such as chainsaws.

The good news is that hearing loss caused at work or through recreational activities is avoidable. At work you should make sure that you follow your safety guidelines and ensure that you wear the appropriate ear defenders. Outside of work can be trickier because you are in charge of your own hearing protection. However something as simple as a good quality pair of earplugs can offer you a level of protection that could easily prevent any permanent damage to your hearing.