To all of you North of the equator: Welcome to summer! Along with the weather of summer come many activities that are unique to this time of year (especially for Northerners where summers are short), such as motorcycle and convertible car trips, lawn care, amusement parks, outdoor concerts, and more. Unfortunately, these activities also often present overlooked opportunities for hearing damage.
I’m not suggesting we spend the season wearing industrial-strength earmuffs every day; but who knew, for example, that a rollercoaster could cause permanent hearing damage? http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/roller-coaster-hearing-loss?src=rss
It’s not always sudden events, however, (like the rollercoaster article above) that cause hearing damage. Long-term exposure to noise is the most common culprit. Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and similar constant-noise sources are often much louder than we realize, and actually “wear out” hearing over time.
Take steps when & where you can to reduce noise exposure. http://www.gardenguides.com/93553-prevent-hearing-loss-mowing-lawn.html
So . . . Guard your ears, to hear for more years!
