by Eric Fairman

Standing outside enjoying the pure, night air also gives one the opportunity to ‘hear’ the
silence of the night. Such silence is truly ‘golden’ and comes as a refreshing antidote to
the noises of the daylight hours. Not that the noises that I am subjected to are anything
to lament about, on the contrary, most are ‘natural’ sounds made by bird, beast, wind
or rain, with the occasional hum of the tractor in nearby orchards or paddocks, none of
which generally exceed a noise level much higher than 45 decibels (dB) in my immediate
environment.

Decibels (dB) is the unit used to measure the intensity of sound The hum of conversation
is rated at 60 dB in a lively office or school environment. In the home, noise levels vary
between 65 dB for the washing machine or dishwasher, through to 80 dB for an alarm
clock, to 85 dB for an electric shaver! Walking through the city can expose us to sound
in the range of 80 - 90 dB at the minimum.

The results of research, in the form of ‘hearing tests’, conducted at a university in the
USA amongst a group of middle and high school students, revealed that 17% of those
tested had varying degrees of hearing loss. The test results further revealed that the
greatest hearing loss was in the higher ranges of pitch. Such a discovery was not in itself
surprising, for initial damage to hearing usually effects the reception of high frequency
sounds after exposure to excessive noise.

How does this relate to everyday life. An early indicator of partial hearing loss may be a
difficulty or an inability to hear high-pitched voices. Further manifestations of partial
hearing loss may be revealed in difficulties with distinguishing particular consonant
blends, such as S, F or a soft C, CH, SH and H. The result is that words such as ‘sill’,
‘fill’, ‘sill’, ‘hill’, ‘hell’, ‘shell’, etc., sound almost identical!

Unfortunately, such a phenomenon is not restricted to middle or high school students,

for it is becoming increasingly common for young children to be diagnosed with hearing
loss, even before they commence school!! It is but a short step to make a logical
connection between hearing loss and the prevalence of specific learning challenges
experienced by an increasing number of children.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) can occur at any age and we can experience
temporary loss after as little as fifteen minutes exposure to loud sounds. Symptoms can
include a diminished ability to hear sounds which one is normally able to hear. In
addition there may be a ‘ringing’ in the ears (tinnitus) or the ears may have the feeling
of being ‘blocked’. Hearing loss may be caused by any loud sound which continues for
an extended period of time. Fortunately, our hearing will generally return after awhile,
but never quite to the level of what it was previously, although we may not be able to
detect any change in our ability to hear after short exposure on an irregular basis.
Unfortunately, hearing loss is generally only detected after a hearing test
In children and adolescents, the greatest damage to hearing is caused by listening to
continuous loud ‘pounding’ music. If the music is so loud that one has to raise one’s
voice to be heard in a conversation, then rest assured that your hearing is being
damaged. Attendance at discos, night clubs or other such events are an obvious source of
such excessive noise.

Another source of excessive sound is through the prolific use of headphones to listen to
music played on the ‘diskman’, ‘walkman’ or iPod. Young people will spend hours on
end listening to music via headphones. Most of the time at a level well in excess of what
could be deemed appropriate. How often do we sit or stand next to a fellow passenger in
a ‘bus or train who is wearing headphones from which we are able, despite the noise of
the vehicle’s engine, to hear the emanating sound? If anyone other than the user of the
apparatus is able to hear the sound, then the volume is too loud and damage is being
done to the user’s hearing. If the listener maintains the same volume for extended
periods of time, then the hearing will suffer irreparable damage.

Let us consider for a moment the structure of the ear in an attempt to understand how
hearing loss occurs (this is generally taught to students as part of their Physiology
lessons in Year Seven in Steiner-Waldorf schools). We can look upon the ear as a
complex organ comprised of three main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the
inner ear. The outer and middle ear, are separated by a thin membrane called the
‘eardrum’. Sound hits this membrane and causes it to vibrate and these vibrations
travel to the middle ear and are conveyed to three minute bones, namely the: malleus,
incus and stapes (more commonly known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup). The
vibrations are then transmitted to the inner ear to be picked up by tiny sensory 'hair
cells' in the cochlea that transforms the vibrations into nerve impulses, which in turn are
transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve

These 'hair cells' are exceedingly delicate microscopic structures, arranged in ‘V’
shaped groups, that easily become damaged when bombarded by loud noise. Damage
results in the ‘hairs’ becoming entangled and loosing the ability to remain upright. If
this damage is the result of brief exposure to loud noise, then there is every chance that
they will recover to some degree, but never totally. However, when the damage is the
result of impulse noise, such as an explosion, damage may be irreversible. Irreversible
damage may also occur when the hairs’ are subjected to loud noise on a regular basis.
The ‘hairs’ never really have time to recover between one listening session and another,
and eventually they become too weak and die, resulting in progressive hearing loss.

L. Healthy 'hair' cells - R. Damaged 'hair' cells

Our hearing is also susceptible to damage when we ‘work-out’ at the gym!! To while-
away the time spent on apparatus, we may wear headphones to listen to music.
However, although exercise can be beneficial for our physique, intense exercise also
brings us to a state of stress, at which time our ears become far more sensitive to sound.
At this stage, noise doesn’t even have to be loud to cause mild damage! Thus, the use of
headphones whilst exercising is to be avoided.

‘Workplace Health and Safety Regulations’ in most western societies, require that ear
protection be worn when there is a likelihood of noise levels reaching or exceeding 85
dB. Amplified music easily reaches 110 - 130 dB, which equals the noise of a jet aircraft
flying overhead, but no ear protection is worn!! Many young people play their
diskman/walkman at 110 dB or more for hours at a time. Much of the loud modern
music which they currently listen to, has the regular ‘thud-thud-thud’ of the bass drum.
These low notes have the ability to flatten hairs cells in much the same way as mature
trees can be flattened in a fierce wind storm.

As educators, we have a responsibility not only to teach young people about the wonders
of the world, but we also have a responsibility to instill in them a respect for their bodies
and at the same time, make efforts to protect them from those things which may harm
them in one way or another. The foregoing goes some way towards explaining why
educators have strong reservations and concerns with regards to the use of a ‘diskman’
or ‘walkman’ by students of any age.

This concern also extends to other forms of electronic amplification of sound, especially
the amplification often experienced in cinemas. Sound which is too loud contravenes
most ‘Health and Safety Regulations’ and we have a duty of care, both to ourselves and
our children, to bring such contraventions to the attention of the management for their
timely and appropriate action.

There are of course many other sources of noise other than that caused by electronic
amplification. We are subjected to noise wherever we are, be it at home, at work or
enjoying recreational activities. In the home we have the TV; food mixer; vacuum
cleaner; workshop tools; lawn mowers and leaf blowers. On the way to work or in the
workplace we are subjected to a cacophony of sounds emanating from motor vehicles of
all shapes and sizes; pneumatic drills; sirens; machinery, etc. Recreational life may take
us to formula one, motor cycle or go-kart race tracks; speed boats; rifle ranges or
hunting. Regardless of our environment, we can all be subjected to one form or another
of excessive noise.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is preventable. Firstly, we should educate ourselves
about the hazards of noise, and become alert to the presence of hazardous noise in our
environment, so that we are in a better position to care for the hearing health of the
young.

Secondly, the use of effective ear plugs or other forms of hearing protection, should
become an acceptable part of everyday life. Appropriate forms of protection are easily
obtainable from chemists, drugstores, good sporting and hardware stores. When there is
suspicion of hearing loss, however slight then it is advisable to undergo an examination
and hearing test conducted by an audiologist.
 ‘SILENCE IS GOLDEN’

– but only if we are blessed with the ability to hear –

Eric Fairman taught for many years in Waldorf schools in Britain and Australia. He is the
author of the Path of Discovery series.