In the following Q&A, [audiologist Cory] Portnuff explains what those small steps are, warning signs of hearing loss, and why identifying those at risk of hearing loss can be challenging.
What is a safe exposure level to prevent hearing loss?
It depends on how long a person is in that environment. As a general rule, we say a worker can be in an environment that’s 85 decibels for about eight hours a day safely. If you go into a louder environment, you get less safe time. So once you hit 88 decibels, you get four hours of safe exposure time, 91 decibels, you get two hours of safe exposure time, and so on.
That said, we want to understand and reduce our exposure whenever possible. A simple way to do that is to use a sound-level meter app. There’s a great one from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (the NIOSH SLM app) – it’s pretty accurate for a free app on your phone.
Is hearing sensitivity primarily genetic then?
We think so. We think there are genetic factors that make somebody more predisposed to having hearing loss, more susceptible to noise damage. There are also environmental factors. There are medications that make you more susceptible to hearing loss, like chemotherapy medications for cancer, for example. But it’s mostly genetically mediated. But at present, we don’t have any genetic tests that tell what your hearing loss risks are.
