In a recent blog post, I commented on a failed lawsuit against Apple for hearing damage associated with the use of the iPod ear buds. In reading the warning found in the iPod manual, it made me think about something. Here’s the excerpt:

“You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound, which may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing. Set your iPod volume to a safe level before that happens. If you experience ringing in your ears, reduce the volume or discontinue use of your iPod.”

They made a very good point that we may not realize noise levels are high when we become used to the sound. If you think about the way our bodies work and how we have built-in mechanisms meant to keep us safe, this is an interesting flaw.

You can’t look in direct sunlight without feeling discomfort nor touch a stove when it’s hot and not pull your hand away quickly. You can get used to bright light, but you’ll probably never be able to look directly in the sunlight. And, although different people tolerate different heat levels, you’ll probably always flinch and pull your hand away from intense heat.

Certain strong odours cause us to cover our noses and mouths (chemicals, etc.) because something is telling us the source of the smell must not be good for our respiratory system. We would never be inclined to eat something that smells foul (well, certain cheeses aside).

Apparently, though, our sense of hearing doesn’t quite work as well. We lose sensitivity to loud sounds the more we are exposed to them. This is likely partial hearing damage in the works.

So, my question is, what noises do you hear in your world? Is your office at work loud? What about the traffic noise outside your home or office? Are you a commuter who takes the train? Does it sound noisy on the platform? Do you work with noisy equipment or machinery? Do you have oodles of children in your home with squeaking, squealing toys?

It’s a good idea to have a think and determine whether you should be protecting your ears from hearing damage. One marker is to make sure you can hear someone talking at a normal voice level. If you or the other person needs to raise their voice in order to be heard, there’s a good chance the decibel levels in your environment can eventually cause permanent hearing damage.

As well, noise pollution can be stressful. So, while rustling of papers, phone conversations and office equipment noises may not be loud enough to cause damage, the stress from the constant noise may be an issue.

There are many noise earplugs, foam earplugs and reusable earplugs that can help protect your ears, even if your ears don’t realize they need protection.