A first of its study analysed temporary hearing loss in music festival attendees and found high levels of noise along with drugs and alcohol to blame
If you are a music festival regular, here’s some advice. Use ear plugs.
It comes from far off Netherlands, from the department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the the University Medical Center Utrecht. Researchers analysed the factors are associated with temporary noise-induced hearing loss after music exposure during a music festival.
To date, factors associated with noise-induced hearing loss at music festivals have not been analyzed in a single comprehensive data set. In addition, little is known about the hearing loss–associated behavior of music festival attendees. Participants were evaluated after spending 4.5 hours at a music festival.
The study concluded: “The present study identified non-use of earplugs, use of alcohol and drugs, and male sex as associated with a TTS at an outdoor music festival. Physicians should consider these factors to raise awareness about the combined risk of attending music festivals without using earplugs while consuming alcohol and/or drugs. The intention to use earplugs was correlated with the loudness and appreciation of music with earplugs, which may advocate for the use of personalized earplugs.”
TTS or temporary threshold shift is a form of temporary hearing loss when the ability of the ears to detect softer noises is compromised. It is, as the name suggests, reversible. Hearing loss due to recreational noise exposure depends on factors concerning the noise, including the duration of exposure, the intensity and frequency of the noise and how fast the sound pressure level increases. The study has been published in Jama Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
The researchers said: “During the past 2 decades, the prevalence of hearing loss among young people has increased, partly owing to the increasing popularity of visiting music concerts, clubs, and festivals. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to recreational noise exposure may be reduced by using earplugs that decrease the loudness of the noise.”
