Examining the noisy life of the college musician: weeklong noise dosimetry of music and non-music activities.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the contribution of all daily activities, including non-music activities, to the overall noise exposure of college student musicians, and to compare their "noise lives" with those of non-musician college students. DESIGN: Continuous week-long dosimetry measurements were collected on student musicians and non-musicians. During the measurement period, participants recorded their daily activities in journals. STUDY SAMPLE: 22 musicians and 40 non-musicians, all students (aged 18-24 years) at the University of Connecticut. RESULTS: On every day of the week, musicians experienced significantly higher average exposure levels than did non-musicians. Nearly half (47%) of the musicians' days exceeded a daily dose of 100%, compared with 10% of the non-musicians' days. When the exposure due to music activities was removed, musicians still led noisier lives, largely due to participation in noisier social activities. For some musicians, non-music activities contributed a larger share of their total weekly noise exposure than did their music activities. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with their non-musician peers, college student musicians are at higher risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). On a weekly basis, non-music activities may pose a greater risk to some musicians than music activities. Thus, hearing health education for musicians should include information about the contribution of lifestyle factors outside of music to NIHL risk.

Understanding speech when wearing communication headsets and hearing protectors with subband processing.

An adaptive, delayless, subband feed-forward control structure is employed to improve the speech signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the communication channel of a circumaural headset/hearing protector (HPD) from 90 Hz to 11.3 kHz, and to provide active noise control (ANC) from 50 to 800 Hz to complement the passive attenuation of the HPD. The task involves optimizing the speech SNR for each communication channel subband, subject to limiting the maximum sound level at the ear, maintaining a speech SNR preferred by users, and reducing large inter-band gain differences to improve speech quality. The performance of a proof-of-concept device has been evaluated in a pseudo-diffuse sound field when worn by human subjects under conditions of environmental noise and speech that do not pose a risk to hearing, and by simulation for other conditions. For the environmental noises employed in this study, subband speech SNR control combined with subband ANC produced greater improvement in word scores than subband ANC alone, and improved the consistency of word scores across subjects. The simulation employed a subject-specific linear model, and predicted that word scores are maintained in excess of 90% for sound levels outside the HPD of up to ∼115 dBA.

Consistency of attenuation across multiple fittings of custom and non-custom earplugs.

Hearing protection devices (HPDs) play a significant role in protecting workers from occupational noise-induced hearing loss. Individual HPD fit-testing estimates the amount of protection, or attenuation, that an individual achieves from a given HPD as it is worn. Results from a single fit-test may not be representative of real-world HPD performance over time, however, due to inconsistency in how the individual fits the HPD from time to time. In this study, the effects of HPD type and user training on the consistency of attenuation achieved across multiple fittings were evaluated in a within-subjects design. Attenuation measurements using a real-ear attenuation at threshold procedure were obtained on 30 participants wearing custom-molded and non-custom earplugs. The subjects were initially naive to proper earplug insertion techniques and later received one-on-one training for the second half of the attenuation measurements. Consistency, or reliability, of fit was assessed using (i) the standard deviation of the 'distance to ear mean attenuation', a measure of fitting uncertainty, and (ii) the standard deviation of the attenuation values across multiple fit-tests for each subject. The custom earplug provided statistically significantly better consistency of attenuation than the non-custom earplug at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. Training effects were statistically significant at 250, 500, and 1000 Hz and at the Personal Attenuation Rating. No interactions were statistically significant. These results indicate that, in general, subjects obtained more consistent attenuation with the custom earplugs than with the non-custom earplugs and that consistency improved with training for both earplug types.

Attenuation as a function of the canal length of custom-molded earplugs: a pilot study.

Custom-molded earplugs (CMEPs) whose canal segments extend beyond the second bend of the ear canal can provide excellent attenuation but can sometimes be uncomfortable. Attenuation was measured for CMEPs whose canal segments were shortened in 2-mm increments. The within-subjects design permitted illustration of the form of the function relating attenuation to canal segment length for individuals. Reduction of attenuation due to canal segment shortening was generally more pronounced for frequencies ≤1000 Hz. Some regions of the canal segments were more critical than others in maintaining attenuation. The relationship between comfort and canal segment length was not straightforward.

Measurements of earplug attenuation under supra-aural and circumaural headphones.

OBJECTIVE: Supra-aural audiometric headphones are generally not recommended for use in measuring the attenuation of earplugs, because contact between the headphone and pinna and/or earplug could alter the attenuation obtained, and because of concerns of non-comparability between modes of excitation from supra-aural headphones and the sound-field procedure required by the standardized method. In this study, we compared measurements of earplug attenuation obtained under Telephonics TDH-50P supra-aural headphones with measurements obtained under circumaural headphones designed expressly for such testing. DESIGN: The attenuation of three types of earplugs (foam, premolded quadruple-flange, and custom-molded) was measured in a repeated-measures design. STUDY SAMPLE: The study sample comprised 42 normal-hearing adults (21 females, 21 males). RESULTS: With the foam earplugs, nearly all of the attenuation measurements under the supra-aural headphones fell within 10 dB of the measurements under the circumaural headphones. With the flange and custom earplugs, approximately 10% of individuals obtained spuriously high attenuation under the supra-aural headphones. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that standard supra-aural audiometric headphones are suitable for measuring the attenuation provided by foam earplugs. However, supra-aural headphones should not be used to measure the attenuation of flange or custom-molded earplugs. The potential exists for substantial over-estimation of attenuation, especially of custom plugs.

Evaluation by industrial workers of passive and level-dependent hearing protection devices.

Level-dependent hearing protection devices (HPDs) provide protection from intense sound, while offering amplification for speech and other signals in lower levels of noise. These HPDs have been developed in response to the communication and operational needs of noise-exposed persons in industry and the military. This study was conducted to examine industrial workers' perceptions of the performance of two level-dependent HPDs (one with integrated radio communication capability and one without it) and their customary passive HPDs. This research took place at a plastic film manufacturing plant in Rhode Island, USA, following a mixed-measures design. Fifteen maintenance technicians at the plant evaluated the two level-dependent HPDs, plus their customary passive HPDs, in three separate trial periods. Data were collected via a questionnaire designed for this purpose. Mixed-model analyses of variance were performed on all dependent measures. Linear and quadratic effect sizes were assessed with eta. Results revealed that the two level-dependent HPDs offered better perceived communication and situational awareness than the workers' customary passive HPDs. However, the level-dependent HPDs were rated lower than the passive HPDs in terms of usability and comfort. To increase workers' acceptance of level-dependent HPDs, usability issues must be addressed by the HPD manufacturers.

Estimation of equivalent noise exposure level using hearing threshold levels of a population.

OBJECTIVES: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is costly in both human and economic terms. One means of reducing NIHL is to apply engineering controls to hazardous noise sources. To trade off the cost of engineering controls against the total direct monetary costs incurred by NIHL, a means of predicting the amount of NIHL that will be incurred over the life-cycle of a hazardous noise source is necessary. A widely known algorithm for the prediction of NIHL is published in ANSI S3.44-1996. However, the algorithm inputs, noise exposure level and duration, may be difficult to determine in some cases. This paper describes the conceptual basis of an approach for using ANSI S3.44-1996 to predict hearing thresholds in a population even when noise exposure levels and durations are not precisely known, and demonstrates the initial application of this approach to a single military population. DESIGN: Retrospective data were obtained on the hearing-threshold levels, demographic characteristics, and noise exposure history of 250 male U.S. Navy machinists' mates. A maximum-likelihood fitting procedure was developed in which the noise level input to the algorithm was varied in order to determine the noise level that best accounted for all of the data. RESULTS: The maximum likelihood fitting produced a value for the noise level input of approximately 93 dBA, with a standard error of approximately 0.3. The low standard error virtually eliminates any estimate above 94 or below 92 dBA, and indicates that a good fit to the data was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrates the feasibility of calibrating the algorithm to an individual population, even when noise exposure level or duration is not precisely known. Future work will focus on validating and generalizing this approach so that it may be used to predict hearing-threshold levels in various populations. Such an approach may be used in calculating potential cost savings in compensable hearing loss due to the application of noise control solutions.

Auditory fitness for duty: a review.

BACKGROUND: Auditory fitness for duty (AFFD) refers to the possession of hearing abilities sufficient for safe and effective job performance. In jobs such as law enforcement and piloting, where the ability to hear is critical to job performance and safety, hearing loss can decrease performance, even to the point of being hazardous to self and others. Tests of AFFD should provide an employer with a valid assessment of an employee's ability to perform the job safely, without discriminating against the employee purely on the basis of hearing loss. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review is to provide a basic description of the functional hearing abilities required in hearing-critical occupations, and a summary of current practices in AFFD evaluation. In addition, we suggest directions for research and standardization to ensure best practices in the evaluation of AFFD in the future. RESEARCH DESIGN: We conducted a systematic review of the English-language peer-reviewed literature in AFFD. "Popular" search engines were consulted for governmental regulations and trade journal articles. We also contacted professionals with expertise in AFFD regarding research projects, unpublished material, and current standards. RESULTS: The literature review provided information regarding the functional hearing abilities required to perform hearing-critical tasks, the development of and characteristics of AFFD protocols, and the current implementation of AFFD protocols. CONCLUSIONS: This review paper provides evidence of the need to institute job-specific AFFD protocols, move beyond the pure-tone audiogram, and establish the validity of test protocols. These needs are arguably greater now than in times past.

Enjoyment of music by elderly hearing-impaired listeners.

BACKGROUND: Anecdotal evidence suggests that hearing loss interferes with the enjoyment of music, although it is not known how widespread this problem currently is. PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of music-listening difficulties among a group of elderly hearing aid wearers. RESEARCH DESIGN: Interview. Telephone interviews were conducted with patients who wore hearing aids. Questions regarding several aspects of music listening were included. STUDY SAMPLE: Sixty-eight hearing-impaired people served as subjects. They had all been seen in the audiology clinic for hearing aid evaluation during the previous year. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Subjects were asked questions concerning their use of hearing aids, the importance of listening to music in their lives, their habits and practices concerning music, and difficulties they experienced in listening to music. RESULTS: Almost 30% of the respondents reported that their hearing losses affected their enjoyment of music. About half of the respondents indicated that music was either too loud or too soft, although only about one-third reported difficulties with level contrasts within musical pieces. In contrast to a similar survey carried out 20 years ago, there were many fewer complaints about listening to music. This result may be due in large part to improvements in hearing aids, especially with regard to nonlinear compression. CONCLUSIONS: Although new hearing aid technologies have somewhat reduced problems of music enjoyment experienced by hearing-impaired people, audiologists should be aware that some 25-30% of patients may have difficulties with listening to music and may require extra attention to minimize those problems.

Modeling the Unites States government's economic cost of noise-induced hearing loss for a military population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility and utility of developing economic cost models for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). First, we outline an economic model of NIHL for a population of US Navy sailors with an "industrial"-type noise exposure. Next, we describe the effect on NIHL-related cost of varying the two central model inputs--the noise-exposure level and the duration of exposure. Such an analysis can help prioritize promising areas, to which limited resources to reduce NIHL-related costs should be devoted. METHODS: NIHL-related costs borne by the US government were computed on a yearly basis using a finite element approach that took into account varying levels of susceptibility to NIHL. Predicted hearing thresholds for the population were computed with ANSI S3.44-1996 and then used as the basis for the calculation of NIHL-related costs. Annual and cumulative costs were tracked. Noise-exposure level and duration were systematically varied to determine their effects on the expected lifetime NIHL-related cost of a specific US Navy sailor population. RESULTS: Our nominal noise-exposure case [93 dB(A) for six years] yielded a total expected lifetime cost of US $13,472 per sailor, with plausible lower and upper bounds of US $2,500 and US $26,000. Starting with the nominal case, a decrease of 50% in exposure level or duration would yield cost savings of approximately 23% and 19%, respectively. We concluded that a reduction in noise level would be more somewhat more cost-effective than the same percentage reduction in years of exposure. CONCLUSION: Our economic cost model can be used to estimate the changes in NIHL-related costs that would result from changes in noise-exposure level and/or duration for a single military population. Although the model is limited at present, suggestions are provided for adapting it to civilian populations.

Perception of roughness by listeners with sensorineural hearing loss.

The perception of auditory roughness presumably results from imperfect spectral or temporal resolution. Sensorineural hearing loss, by affecting spectral resolution, may therefore alter roughness perception. In this study, normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners estimated the roughness of amplitude-modulated tones varying in carrier frequency, modulation rate, and modulation depth. Their judgments were expected to reflect effects of impaired spectral resolution. Instead, their judgments were similar, in most respects, to those of normally-hearing listeners, except at very slow modulation rates. Results suggest that mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss increases the roughness of slowly fluctuating signals.

Integration efficiency for speech perception within and across sensory modalities by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired individuals.

In face-to-face speech communication, the listener extracts and integrates information from the acoustic and optic speech signals. Integration occurs within the auditory modality (i.e., across the acoustic frequency spectrum) and across sensory modalities (i.e., across the acoustic and optic signals). The difficulties experienced by some hearing-impaired listeners in understanding speech could be attributed to losses in the extraction of speech information, the integration of speech cues, or both. The present study evaluated the ability of normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners to integrate speech information within and across sensory modalities in order to determine the degree to which integration efficiency may be a factor in the performance of hearing-impaired listeners. Auditory-visual nonsense syllables consisting of eighteen medial consonants surrounded by the vowel [a] were processed into four nonoverlapping acoustic filter bands between 300 and 6000 Hz. A variety of one, two, three, and four filter-band combinations were presented for identification in auditory-only and auditory-visual conditions: A visual-only condition was also included. Integration efficiency was evaluated using a model of optimal integration. Results showed that normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners integrated information across the auditory and visual sensory modalities with a high degree of efficiency, independent of differences in auditory capabilities. However, across-frequency integration for auditory-only input was less efficient for hearing-impaired listeners. These individuals exhibited particular difficulty extracting information from the highest frequency band (4762-6000 Hz) when speech information was presented concurrently in the next lower-frequency band (1890-2381 Hz). Results suggest that integration of speech information within the auditory modality, but not across auditory and visual modalities, affects speech understanding in hearing-impaired listeners.

Perception of dissonance by people with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the perceived sensory dissonance of pairs of pure tones (PT dyads) or pairs of harmonic complex tones (HC dyads) is altered due to sensorineural hearing loss. Four normal-hearing (NH) and four hearing-impaired (HI) listeners judged the sensory dissonance of PT dyads geometrically centered at 500 and 2000 Hz, and of HC dyads with fundamental frequencies geometrically centered at 500 Hz. The frequency separation of the members of the dyads varied from 0 Hz to just over an octave. In addition, frequency selectivity was assessed at 500 and 2000 Hz for each listener. Maximum dissonance was perceived at frequency separations smaller than the auditory filter bandwidth for both groups of listners, but maximum dissonance for HI listeners occurred at a greater proportion of their bandwidths at 500 Hz than at 2000 Hz. Further, their auditory filter bandwidths at 500 Hz were significantly wider than those of the NH listeners. For both the PT and HC dyads, curves displaying dissonance as a function of frequency separation were more compressed for the HI listeners, possibly reflecting less contrast between their perceptions of consonance and dissonance compared with the NH listeners.

Speech production in noise with and without hearing protection.

People working in noisy environments often complain of difficulty communicating when they wear hearing protection. It was hypothesized that part of the workers' communication difficulties stem from changes in speech production that occur when hearing protectors are worn. To address this possibility, overall and one-third-octave-band SPL measurements were obtained for 16 men and 16 women as they produced connected speech while wearing foam, flange, or no earplugs (open ears) in quiet and in pink noise at 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 dB SPL. The attenuation and the occlusion effect produced by the earplugs were measured. The Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) was also calculated for each condition. The talkers produced lower overall speech levels, speech-to-noise ratios, and SII values, and less high-frequency speech energy, when they wore earplugs compared with the open-ear condition. Small differences in the speech measures between the talkers wearing foam and flange earplugs were observed. Overall, the results of the study indicate that talkers wearing earplugs (and consequently their listeners) are at a disadvantage when communicating in noise.