Can permanent sensorineural hearing loss be caused by sleeping with an ear against a train window?

2002 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 695-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alasdair Robertson ◽  
Brian Bingham ◽  
George McIlwraith

A patient presented to the authors with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss after falling asleep with his ear tightly pressed against a window of a moving train. This study set out to determine whether a train could generate sound levels of sufficient intensity to cause such a hearing loss. A sound level meter was used to measure the sound levels produced at the window of a moving train. Further measurements were made with a rubber attachment on the microphone, that simulated the effect of the ear stuck to the window. The sound levels were found to be amplified by the attachment but not to levels that could cause a hearing loss over a short period. In a second experiment eight healthy volunteers all perceived an increase in sound levels when their ears were pressed against a train window.It seems unlikely that sleeping with an ear against a train window can cause hearing loss, but it cannot be ruled out.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Diana Kusuma Wardhani ◽  
Jojok Mukono Mukono

Introduction: As one of the preferred modes of land transportation, the frequency of train services was very high. One of the negative impacts arising from train activity was noise. The high noise intensity of the train causes hearing loss. Method: This study aims to analyze the differences in the incidence of hearing loss in 2 groups of residents in Turirejo Lawang Malang. This research used the observational method and the data were analyzed descriptive qualitative. A total of 20 people were selected as respondents by purposive sampling. Noise intensity was measured by Sound Level Meter and audiometric measurements were examined at SIMA Malang Laboratory. Result and Discussion: The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss was more common in residents whose homes at 3-7 m away from the railroad tracks. In addition, residents who lived at least 15 years at a distance of 3-7 m also experienced more hearing loss. One cause of hearing loss is due to exposure to high noise and for a long time and will damage the hair cells in the cochlea, causing hearing loss. If noise exposure continues and for a long period of time damage to hair cells will be permanent and cannot return to normal. Conclusion: There needs to be a policy from the government in determining the minimum limit of the distance of the house to the railroad tracks. In addition, it is necessary to install a barrier near people’s homes to reduce noise.


1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Macrae

Excessive amplification by hearing aids causes temporary threshold shift (TTS) and permanent threshold shift (PTS). This investigation addressed the question whether it might be possible to predict the eventual amount of PTS caused by excessive amplification from the amount of TTS it causes after a day of hearing aid use. Asymptotic TTS (ATS) to be expected as a result of hearing aid use was predicted for 8 children with sensorineural hearing loss and the predicted ATS was compared with observed permanent deterioration of their thresholds attributed to hearing aid use. There was good agreement between the predicted ATS and observed PTS at 500 to 2000 Hz. It follows that, for prediction of PTS caused by hearing aid use, the mean of the sound levels produced in the ear by the hearing aid is the correct equivalent continuous level (ECL) to use and that the Modified Power Law (MPL) is the appropriate method of adjusting the predictions for sensorineural hearing loss, because these have been shown to be appropriate for prediction of TTS caused by hearing aid use. Predictions of the PTS to be expected for the children that were carried out using the MPL and the mean level as the ECL were in good agreement with the observed PTS at 500 to 2000 Hz, whereas predictions of PTS based on an alternative method of correction for sensorineural hearing loss (the Continuation Hypothesis) were significantly less than the observed amounts. The results of the PTS predictions therefore confirmed the conclusions drawn from the results of the ATS predictions.


Author(s):  
Lokanath Sahoo ◽  
Krushnendu Sundar Sahoo ◽  
Nitish Kumar Nayak

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> This study was done to identify the effect that environmental noises have on speech perception of individual with sensorineural hearing loss. The objectives were to develop evidence-based approach to support the need for sophisticated technology and to choose the better one for daily listening purposes of Hearing-Impaired individual to obtain a speech perception score when environmental noises are used as competing signal.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The study was executed in three phases. In phase 1, developing a noise check list and recording the noise levels at different places by using sound level meter, in phase 2, analyzing the recorded noises into spectral and temporal distributions by using software and phase 3, testing the hearing loss individual’s syllables in the presence of recorded noises.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> For 0 dB signal to noise ratio (SNR), the mean scores for white noise and temple noise were higher than for other noise types. The bus and auto noise conditions also showed significant difference in values between them. For +10 dB SNR, speech scores obtained for audiometry noise differed statistically from only restaurant and traffic noise. The traffic noise being the poorest differed statistically from all other noise types. On the other end of range, restaurant noise showed highest speech scores.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The overall the scores were a lot higher for only restaurant noise and noise of travel in auto. These showed effect of masking release and that hearing impaired are better able to understand conversations in these situations at least.</p>


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