Introduction A hearing protection device (HPD) is often used as a protective measure in a workplace environment when the sound levels of that environment cannot be decreased and such levels pose a threat to the hearing of workers. An HPD is a safety device worn by individual’s to protect his or her hearing from the harmful effects of sound (Berger, 2003). A variety of occupational environments are known to produce high levels of noise, including factories and military operations. Individuals employed in these professions may be required to wear HPDs to reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. However, certain situations in these work environments require the listener to also be able to hear low-level sounds for safety reasons. There is difficulty in providing a HPD that attenuates the high-level sounds while allowing low-level sounds to be perceived. More often than not, individuals must choose between protecting their hearing while missing out on essential low-level auditory information, or going without hearing protection and putting themselves at risk for temporary or permanent noise-induced hearing loss (Brungart & Hobbs, 2007). Furthermore, the implementation of HPDs can change the temporal and spectral cues of an auditory signal, which can interfere with one’s ability to locate the direction of a sound source (Bolia et al. 2001). Without localization abilities, an individual is more at risk for occupational hazards as well as jeopardizing their safety and the safety of others. Styles of HPDs and their effects on sound localization will be discussed to provide information for individuals required to wear hearing protection in high-risk professions. Types of Hearing Protection Devices Different styles of hearing pr... ... middle of paper ... ...l Hygiene Association (AIHA). Ch. 10, 379-454. Bolia, R.S., D’Angelo, W.R., Mishler, P.J., & Morris, L.J. (2001). Effects of Hearing Protectors on Auditory Localization in Azimuth and Elevation. Human Factors, 43(1), 122-128. Borg, E., Bergkvist, C., & Bagger-Sjoback, D. (2008). Effect on Directional Hearing in Hunters Using Amplifying (Level Dependent) Hearing Protectors. Otology & Neurotology, 29, 579-585. Brungart, D.S. & Hobbs, B.W. (2007). A Comparison of Acoustic and Psychoacoustic Measurements of Pass-Through Hearing Protection Devices, in Proceedings of 2007 IEEE Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics, New Paltz, New York. Oct 21-24, 2007. Simpson, B.D., Bolia, R.S., McKinley, R.L., & Brungart, D.S. (2005). The Impact of Hearing Protection on Sound Localization and Orienting Behavior. Human Factors, 47(1), 188-198.
Technology nowadays is getting more and more dangerous, especially to our ears. Every day we are subjected to videos, text sounds, alert sounds, alarms, and anything else that may be of use in life. These sounds seem to be happening more often which is damaging our ears. There is a solution to this damage though, and that is cochlear implants. These implants will bypass the damaged part of your ear to give you a sense of sound that can be made very useful to the patient. This paper will look into how the ear works, how hearing loss happens, why these cochlear implants are a good solution, how these implants work, cost and ethics related to these implants, and what the future holds for them.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether if the sound is affected when it travels through different length pipes. The method used to do this experiment was created by using 5 different PVC pipes in the lengths of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 centimeters. Then, using a tuning fork, sound will be produced on one end of the PVC pipe and measured with a decimeter on the other end. This experiment was recorded using 5 trials for each independent level and the average decibels (dB) for each pipe length were recorded.
Lane, Harlan (1992). “Cochlear Implants are Wrong for Young Deaf Children.” Viewpoints on Deafness. Ed. Mervin D. Garretson. National Association of the Deaf, Silver Spring, MD. 89-92.
“Music is perpetual, and only the hearing is intermittent,” wrote the iconic American essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, a lofty proclamation that inspired my focus to help those with hearing loss through restoration. After a winding journey in search for an academic focus, I discovered that audiology is far more than just aiding deaf or hard of hearing individuals, but restoring balance, managing loss through therapy, and discovering new research techniques that may involve auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. After arriving at my destination, I also learned that it is my responsibility as a future audiologist to be a leader, to work hard toward achieving a better future for myself, and a better world for humanity at large. This vision drives my aspiration to join the University of South Florida’s graduate audiology program this coming fall, and continue my examination of clinical audiology as a member of your community.
The unit used to measure the intensity of sound is called the decibel(dB). Sounds that measure up to 75dB are considered to be in the "safe zone". Constant exposure to to sound at these levels are very unlikely to cause any lasting damage to long term hearing. The sound of regular volume conversation measures at around 60dB and the sound of a running dishwasher measures at roughly 75dB. Sounds around the 85dB level are considered a moderate risk to hearing. Exposure at these levels for extened periods of time may lead to some form of damage causing NIHL. Sounds at these levels include heavy traffic and crowded areas at 85dB, active subway stations at 95dB and listening to an mp3 player with ear buds at maximum volume at 105dB in which listening for just 15 minutes can cause permanent damage. Sound at 120dB and above are in the "danger zone". This level of sound is to be avoided at all cost as exposure even for a short pulse will lead to immediate permanent damage. This level includes the sound of ambulance sirens at 120dB, a jet taking off at 140dB and gunshots at 165 dB and above. (Rabinowitz,
Derrick joined his school football team in seventh grade. His mother, a nurse, was extremely hesitant because she did not want Coleman’s hearing to decrease again. However, his father wanted to let him play, claiming that it would be a great chance at normalcy and release from his aggression. After an MRI was completed and proved football would not harm his hearing worse, he was finally allowed to p...
Lu, Z.-L., Williamson, S.J., & Kaufman L. (1992, Dec 4). Behavioral lifetime of human auditory
TTYs (also called Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDD) and text telephones) are used for two-way text conversation over a telephone line. They are the primary tool used by deaf people (and some hard of hearing people) for telephone conversation. Other visual telecommunications technologies and services, such as Internet chat and messaging, email, e-paging, and fax and e-mail are also used in telecommunications by people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Tucker, Bonnie. “Deaf Culture, Cochlear Implants, and Elective Disability.” Hastings Center Report. 28.4 (1998): 1-12. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Deaf people make unique population in the world today but unfortunately, deaf population may extinct due to widespread use of bionic ears, which is cochlear implant. Cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or hard of hearing. The cochlear implant controversy therefore involve questions about allowing cochlear implant for newborn to ten years old or does the cochlear implant pose a serious threat to deaf community or why wouldn’t a deaf person want to become hearing and forth on. It is harmful both to individual health and the deaf community.
The Cochlear Implant The cochlear implant is possibly one of the greatest inventions designed to benefit the deaf community. A cochlear implant is a device implanted internally behind a deaf persons ear with an external microphone, and is designed to provide artificial sounds to people who have nerve deafness in both ears and show no ability to understand speech through hearing aids. Since the development of the cochlear implant in the 1960’s, more than 10,000 people worldwide have been implanted with this device. Although this may seem like the perfect device to aid deafness, a lot of controversy still exists about the cochlear implant.
McLachlan, N. M., Phillips, D. S., Rossell, S. L., & Wilson, S. J. (2013). Auditory processing
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (November 2002). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
Emert, Phyllis Raybin., and Howard Schroeder. Hearing Ear Dogs. Mankato, MN: Crestwood House, 1985. Print.
Hearing is known to be an automatic function of the body. According to the dictionary, hearing is, “the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived; the act of perceiving sound,” (“hearing…”). Hearing is a physical and involuntary act; therefore, unless one is born with a specific form of deafness, everyone has the natural ability to hear sounds. Sounds constantly surround us in our everyday environments, and because we are so accustomed to hearing certain sounds we sometimes don’t acknowledge them at all (or “listen” to them). The dictionary definition of listening is, “to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing,” (“listening…”). This differs from hearing in that this is a voluntary action, and we have control over what we choose to listen to. As stated by William Seiler and Melissa Beall, “You don’t have to work at hearing; it just happens… Listening, on the other hand, is active and requires energy and desire,” (145).