Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Page 2 Protect Hearing On and Off the Job Although it’s established that exposure to loud noise — generally over a prolonged period of time — can damage a person’s hearing, such noise is by no means the only cause of less-than-normal hearing ability. A wide variety of causes, ranging from diseases such as measles and mumps to excessive use of alcohol and even the gra dual effects- of aging, can be a factor in hearing loss. What’s “normal?” First, what’s “normal” hearing? Generally, medical specialists agree that it’s the ability to detect a range of certain test tones at “threshold levels” between 0 and 25. A threshold level is the softest level at which a tone can be heard. Age and the medical history of a person’s ears are also considered in determining normal hearing. Since a certain amount of hearing loss can be expected with the aging process, a person of 65 may not hear some tones at the same threshold level of a 25-year-old and is still considered to have normal hearing for his/ her age group. The medical history of normal ears must also be free of infections and other dis orders. Types of loss Basically, the two types of hearing loss are conductive and sensori-neural. A conductive hearing loss means that something “gets in the way” or breaks down in the parts of the ear — the outer and mid dle — that conduct sound waves to the inner ear where they're picked up by tiny nerve endings and transmitted to the brain to be “translated” into sound. On the other hand, a sensori-neural hear ing loss occurs within the inner ear by dam age to these tiny nerve endings, which are then unable to transmit sensations to the brain. It is sensori-neural hearing loss that is associated with prolonged exposure to high noise levels. Conductive causes The most common cause of conductive hearing loss in the outer ear is a blockage of the ear canal by a buildup of wax. Of course, blockages can be caused by other substances too. Children are well known for their tendency to stuff objects such as beans or paper wads in their ears, perhaps prompting that old folk saying, “Don't stick anything smaller than your elbow into your ear.” Regardless of what's causing the block age, specialists urge that it be removed by a doctor. One reason is because the skin that lines the ear canal is highly sensitive and easily scratched — creating a perfect oppor tunity for an infection to develop. Another reason is that probing too deeply for wax or any other object in the ear canal can cause injury to the eardrum. Infections a factor In the middle ear, infections which result from colds and congestion cause the most problems. If such infections become chro nic in nature, they may well lead to perma nent hearing loss. For example, if fluid builds up in the middle ear it can cause pressure against the eardrum and eventually cause the eardrum to rupture. Repeated rup tures of the eardrum can produce perfora tions which never heal, and cause a loss of hearing. A person with a perforated eardrum is advised to use special caution to avoid furth er ear infections. Sensori-neural loss Sensori-neural hearing loss can develop at any stage of life, and even before birth. It is a condition which may be inherited or caused in the unborn child by a disease — such as German measles (rubella) or influenza — experienced by the pregnant mother. After birth, a person’s own diseases, in cluding mumps, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, influenza and certain virus in fections, may produce a sensori-neural loss. The use of certain drugs, such as quinine, neomycin, dihydrosteptomycin and kanamycin, are capable of damaging nerve endings in the inner ear. The use of tobacco and alcohol, on a regular basis and to a significant degree, is also believed to des troy these nerves. And the inevitable aging process often brings about a sensori-neural hearing loss. Those who have a conductive hearing loss can resort to a variety of surgical and medic al procedures to improve or restore their hearing, but those with a sensori-neural loss do not have as great an opportunity to correct the situation. Treatment is far more limited. In the case of either kind of hearing loss — or when there's not been any loss at al I — it’s extremely important to protect the ears from high-level noise, both on the job and off. Through Clinton Mills' hearing conserva tion program, employees who are exposed to levels of 85 decibels and above on an eight- hour, time-weighted average are required to have audiometric testing performed on a regular basis. Those who work in areas where the noise is 90 decibels and above are also required to wear hearing protectors — ear plugs or muffs. In addition to protecting against noise, the individual with a sensori-neural hearing loss is advised by specialists to avoid using drugs that might contribute further to the loss, and not to use alcohol or tobacco. Darlene Landers, center, received a $100 U.S. Savings Bond for submitting the winning safety slogan in the Clinton Plants. Making the presentation are Bobby McClellan, Bailey second shift Spinning Assistant Departmental Super intendent, and Departmental Superintendent Steve Floyd. Her slogan, “Clinton Mills — Safety in Stride—Crafted With Pride,” will be used throughout 1986 to promote safety. Hearing Loss CONDUCTIVE — A person tends to speak in a relative ly quiet voice, to a degree that it may be difficult for others to hear him/her. This is because the inner ear is normal and the person can hear his/her own voice, but is not able to hear normally the sounds which originate from outside his/her body. — A person hears and understands well, provided it's loud enough for him/ her to hear at all. Therefore, it’s usually necessary to shout or speak louder than normal to this person. The person usually hears better in a noisy area because other people talking to him/her tend to talk louder in such areas. — Sounds that are loud enough to pro duce actual discomfort in a person with normal hearing are well tolerated by the person with conductive hearing loss. This is because the “breakdown” in the con ductive structure protects the inner ear much in the way an earplug does. This protection does not extend to sound- pressure levels of 130 decibels and high er, however; at this point, the person with conductive hearing loss would respond the same as a person with normal hearing. SENSORI-NEURAL — An individual with sensori-neural loss does not hear his/her own voice or the voices of other people normally, so he/ she usually shouts to achieve communi cation which seems “loud enough” to him/her. — Even at levels of loudness that can be heard by the person with this kind of loss, he/she may not be easily able to understand what is being said. — Typical sensori-neural hearing loss is characterized by better hearing at the lower frequencies than at the high fre quencies. This means that, while the in dividual may be able to hear voices at fairly normal intensities, some of the high-frequency sounds of speech — like sounds of the letters “s,” “z,” “t,” “f,” “v,” “ph” and “tch” — are lost, and what the person hears may not be clear. Other high-frequency sounds, such as whispers and birds chirping, are lost too. Clinton Card Room Service Operator Jeffrey Curenton shows his supervisor Gary Kuykendall a hazard that exists in his department as part of the company’s efforts to get employees to identify potential hazards in the work environment.