By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
December 2003
Centuries ago, Diogenes Laertius wrote, "We have two ears and one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less." Now an increasing number of people are having difficulty hearing more with either ear. Noise induced hearing loss (socioacusis) is primarily due to constant and excessive noise. And since it appears anyone can sue for anything these days why doesn't somebody start a class action suit against Toronto's Air Canada Centre (ACC). It's a prime example of needless, senseless and harmful noise.
Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, one in three North Americans over age 60 has hearing loss. And the problem often starts during student days.
The enjoyment of bread and wine along a French country road exposes you to about 25 decibels (a decibel is a measure of sound intensity). Normal conversation is about 40, city traffic averages 80, subways often emit 100, the flight desk of the USS Nimitz rises to 120 and rock concerts assault the ear with 130. Authorities agree that prolonged exposure to 85 decibels is hazardous to hearing.
Kathy Arehart, professor of speech, language and hearing at the University of Colorado, says the majority of studies about noise related deafness come from industry.
But she points out that many sources of noise originate from recreational sources. What is surprising, much of this hearing damage comes from health clubs, the loud music that accompanies aerobic workouts.
So how does all this noise cause socioacusis? Hair cells situated in the cochlea of the ear stimulate nerve fibers to transmit messages to the brain where they are perceived as sound.
Normal hair cells, viewed under high magnification, look like rows of planted trees. Like a hurricane that topples trees sustained or sudden intense noise bends or breaks off hair cells. And like teeth, once they're lost, they never grow back. So it's easy to end up with bald hair cells long before you lose the hair on the top of your head.
The tragedy is that much of this hearing loss begins early in life. Several hearing experts have told me that almost every person 16 years of age and older now has some degree of hearing loss. One factor, the average Walkman stereo cranks out 95 decibels.
What can you do to prevent socioacusis? We all have to remember that noise is noise whether you're listening to Bach or pushing the lawn mower. And no one would elect to keep his ears next to a lawnmower for six hours a day.
The only solution is to protect your ears from excessive noise. But to do that, most of us have to change our thinking. For instance, how many young people take ear plugs to a rock concert or hockey game? On the other hand they would not dream of going to a shooting range without ear protection.
I'm a hockey fan who suffered for years from Harold Ballard's miscues, now the neutral zone trap with it's boring defensive style of hockey, the outrageously high prices and the failure of The Maple Leafs to win a Stanley Cup since 1967. But if anything finally drives me out of the ACC it will be the senseless noise.
I often wonder why management can't give us at least one minute of silence during the game. Moreover, it must think hockey fans have half a brain. Like well-trained chimpanzees we're told when to yell! Then urged to yell even louder to see which section of ACC wins the pizza!
There's only one logical reason for the noise. It keeps players and fans from falling asleep when there's so much clutching and holding that the once great game of hockey comes to a near halt.
I'd be the first to sign up for a class action suit against ACC and other arenas that can't stand a minute of silence. There are indeed days when I wish I were a lawyer. I'd sue for millions of dollars claiming thousands of fans have developed socioacusis. I'd argue that the case speaks for itself (res ipsa loquitor). And if any juror questioned my argument one trip to the ACC would win my case.
W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com
My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:
Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1
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