Photo credit: Chuck Kardous, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health by Jan L. Mayes, MSc, Audiologist If I had $1 for every time I see an article incorrectly state that 85 decibels (dB) is “safe” for auditory health, I would be rich. It’s especially frustrating to read in a musicradar.com article with a
Photo credit: Scott Teresi licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition The Quiet Coalition received this announcement about a new film, "Jet Line: Voicemails From the Flight Path," premiering on April 15. This 12-minute documentary film uses 100 voice mails coupled with views of the scenic Vermont countryside to explore
Photo credit: This photo by medipics1066 has been dedicated to the public domain by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition The recent suicide of a prominent Texas businessman, reportedly in part because of symptoms of severe tinnitus (ringing in the ears) after recovering from COVID-19 infection, is drawing attention to reports of tinnitus among the
Photo credit: Sound On from Pexels by Jan L. Mayes, MSc, Audiologist (Retired) It’s encouraging to see a recent university news article on the danger of hearing damage from personal listening with earbuds or headphones. Unfortunately, it shares the myth that our ears adapt to loud volumes. It’s true many people with noise-induced hearing damage
Photo credit: Pressmaster from Pexels by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, and Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition As the member of the GrowNYC Board with a knowledge of the impacts of noise on health and well-being, I am the one who individuals, especially New Yorkers, turn to for assistance with noise complaints, especially
Photo credit: Florian Pircher from Pixabay by David M. Sykes, Vice Chair, The Quiet Coalition In a word: no—they can’t hear you because they make too much noise. So a New Zealand company is developing algorithms to cancel the noise drone helicopters make so that their own microphones don’t hear it. Unfortunately, you—we--on the ground
Photo credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels by Jan L. Mayes, MSc, Audiologist (Retired) Flawed noise risk assessments shared in the media are dangerous for public health. This is the case for a recent Arizona Daily Sun article that recommends a 60/60 rule for personal listening with headphones. This rule suggests that personal listening at 60%
Photo credit: Steven Zucker, Smarthistory co-founder licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 by David M. Sykes, Vice Chair, The Quiet Coalition Hearing is so primal, so instinctive, you're often unconscious of sounds around you. Until they’re gone. A monument whose deep silence awakens people is the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. A fitting date to visit is
Image credit: Asmaa Hamed Abdel-Maksoud licensed under CC BY 4.0 by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition When I was a boy I was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s marvelous Guggenheim Museum to want to become an architect. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any talent in drawing or design, and became a doctor instead. But I
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, and Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition In responding to an Federal Aviation Administration's study that found airplanes and helicopters are “far more annoying than other sources” of noise, Congressman Thomas Suozzi of New York said the FAA survey “tells us what we already knew loud and clear
