No Hearing Protection at Stadium Sports Events
I was excited to watch the Canada vs Belgium World Cup men’s soccer match in Qatar. I had no doubt our team would do Canada proud. But this isn’t about a well-played game by the Canadian team (despite the loss). It’s about people ignoring the hearing health risks of stadium noise exposures. Being amazing fans […]
If Only We Could See the Damage of Noise Exposure
I was very honoured to have my article featured in Tinnitus Today, Spring 2022 issue. I discuss science from my 2021 papers published in Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, co-authored with Dr. Daniel Fink of The Quiet Coalition. My main point is simple: If Only We Could See the Damage of Noise Exposure. If our […]
Protecting Hearing for Life
As a member (retired status) of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada, I was honoured to have my article featured in Communique for World Hearing Day, 2022. The title and content of Protecting Hearing for Life reflects this year’s theme of, “To hear for life, listen with care.” In summary, our modern society exposes us to harmfully […]
Personal Listening Systems are Likely Unsafe at any Sound
I was excited to have a second paper published in The Hearing Journal, co-authored with Dr. Daniel Fink of The Quiet Coalition. We’re trying to raise awareness about personal listening risk in this paper titled: Personal audio systems unsafe at any sound. Safer listening behaviours and device warnings about unsafe listening levels are likely not […]
Too Loud Article in The Hearing Journal
I was very excited to have an article published in The Hearing Journal. The title is Too loud: Noise exposure in everyday life is causing hearing loss. I co-authored this with my colleague Daniel Fink, MD, Chair of The Quiet Coalition in the USA. To sum it up, our modern world is so full of […]
Community to Vote on Noise Control Cost
[Originally published at silencity.com] What happens when citizens want highway noise control but the financial cost is high? The Canadian community of Beaconsfield, Quebec is facing skyrocketing noise control estimates for a long awaited concrete sound barrier. Since the need was identified in 2010, cost estimates have risen from $25.5 million to $46 million putting […]
MRI Testing with Tinnitus or Hyperacusis
Doctors don’t make MRI referrals unless testing is important for a person’s healthcare. But MRI testing can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, or hyperacusis. In 2018, scientists found noise levels of modern MRI machines are extremely high. MRI machines have average noise like a jackhammer or chainsaw loudness (110 to 115 dB), and peak or max […]
A noise control cure for preventable tinnitus and hyperacusis
[Originally published at silencity.com] In a 2019 article titled “Why is there no cure for tinnitus?” the authors looked at whether studies had identified if participants have a history of significant noise exposure that could cause decreased sound tolerance, like hyperacusis or tinnitus. A cure for noise-induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, the authors noted, could be […]
The Health Impact of Environmental Noise
[Originally published at silencity.com; noise risk decibels revised April 14, 2022] Environmental noise is damaging and inflicts unwanted sounds into everyday life. In 1984, Gordon Hempton, The Sound Tracker, found 20 natural locations in Washington State with noise-free intervals lasting over 15 minutes. No manmade noise at all. No planes, trains, or traffic. By 1995, […]