DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — 1 in 3 adults are exposed to high levels of noise enough to risk ear damage, a recent study by Apple shows.
Officials are seeing volume exposures of over 70 decibels, which is above a safe limit, according to Christina Dreve, Hearing Instrument Specialist at Beltone Hearing Center in Dayton.
Dreve said this exposure can cause temporary, and sometimes even permanent, hearing loss, and a lifetime of exposure can cause further problems.
1 in 6 teenagers are currently dealing with hearing loss as a result, and exposure can come from environments that are usually overlooked.
“Something as simple as using a hammer and hanging a picture can give dangerous levels of noise exposure,” Dreve said. “Cutting your grass is something people overlook. They just get out there and mow. We need to be wearing hearing protection.”
She said headsets and foam inserts both can be helpful in reducing harm. In addition, she recommends not surpassing volume controls on phones when listening to music.
