Steven Cook, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at the duPont Hospital for Children, in Wilmington, Delaware, says that tinnitus can be very disabling for music professionals like Prof. Jeffery. Sources of noise that can cause hearing loss include firecrackers, small firearms, and motorcycles, all of which can emit sound ranging from 120 to 140 decibels. NIHL is by no means a new problem. Everything we do seems to be louder. According to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998, nearly 15 percent of subjects in the U.S. aged 6 to 19 had signs of hearing loss.
Noise exposure appears to be the culprit.
Ten million Americans have irreversible NIHL, and 30 million are exposed to dangerous noise daily, states Dr. Battey. Our entertainment is noisier. And there are fewer times now to get away. Their brains are still working, and their bodies still active. But they don't hear, and there's a tendency to withdraw from society when you're not hearing.