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... especially if you're riding one of those screeching T-1 trains!
Yahoo News
Link to article
New York subway could be damaging to ears
Thu Oct 12, 9:49 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - As little as 30 minutes a day exposed to the high decibel levels of New York's subway system could result in hearing loss -- and wearing an iPod can increase the risk, according to a new U.S. study.
Researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health at the city's Columbia University found that exposure to the noise levels of the New York transit system can exceed recommended guidelines of the
World Health Organization and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"A big source of urban noise is mass transit ... (but) it's our means of transportation that is so vital to us that we have to accept it as it is," said Robyn Gershon, professor of sociomedical sciences and lead author of the study.
The study, published in the latest edition of the Journal of Urban Health, found the highest decibel level on the platform was 106, and the average level was 94 decibels.
WHO and EPA guidelines say people should not be subjected to levels of 106 decibels for more than 30 seconds to protect their hearing.
Gershon said people who use personal listening devices to block out the noise were at an even greater risk.
"They are making it that loud because they are trying to drown out all the noise around them, which could be 85 or 90 decibels and that is just too loud," said Gershon, calling this the first scientific subway noise assessment in over 30 years.
So how can the four million or so commuters who use the New York subway system lessen the risks to their hearing?
Gershon suggested standing at the front of the station platform rather than the back or middle as the study found the noise levels were lighter at the front.
"But the best way is to use hearing protection and the cheapest way is to use these little ear plugs that you can buy in pharmacy for about $1 or $2," she said.
Yahoo News
Link to article
New York subway could be damaging to ears
Thu Oct 12, 9:49 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - As little as 30 minutes a day exposed to the high decibel levels of New York's subway system could result in hearing loss -- and wearing an iPod can increase the risk, according to a new U.S. study.
Researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health at the city's Columbia University found that exposure to the noise levels of the New York transit system can exceed recommended guidelines of the
World Health Organization and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"A big source of urban noise is mass transit ... (but) it's our means of transportation that is so vital to us that we have to accept it as it is," said Robyn Gershon, professor of sociomedical sciences and lead author of the study.
The study, published in the latest edition of the Journal of Urban Health, found the highest decibel level on the platform was 106, and the average level was 94 decibels.
WHO and EPA guidelines say people should not be subjected to levels of 106 decibels for more than 30 seconds to protect their hearing.
Gershon said people who use personal listening devices to block out the noise were at an even greater risk.
"They are making it that loud because they are trying to drown out all the noise around them, which could be 85 or 90 decibels and that is just too loud," said Gershon, calling this the first scientific subway noise assessment in over 30 years.
So how can the four million or so commuters who use the New York subway system lessen the risks to their hearing?
Gershon suggested standing at the front of the station platform rather than the back or middle as the study found the noise levels were lighter at the front.
"But the best way is to use hearing protection and the cheapest way is to use these little ear plugs that you can buy in pharmacy for about $1 or $2," she said.