Those that choose to live in a large metropolis are no strangers to loud noise. In fact, noise in a big city is often welcomed as a friendly, comforting sound that can lull you to sleep, remind you to step on the gas at the green light, or serve as a harbinger of a good party. Just as easily, intrusive ambulance and siren noises could deprive you of a much needed night of rest, help you develop a good relationship with your favorite brand of aspirin, or lead you to think that good music can only exist in theory. More often than not, however, noise is just what it sounds like – noise – and in the big city, eliminating noise is not as easy as just calling the exterminator. Car horns, trains, unnecessarily loud phone conversations, your favorite song at full volume, a low plane overhead – these all contribute to the potential for hearing loss this generation is exposed to born of the everyday bedlam of a Manhattan-like city. In a world where 80 – 120dB is the average level of noise one might hear in a place like New York City, it seems that slow and gradual damage to one’s hearing is the barter for big city life. NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, explains that “repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent, incurable hearing loss or tinnitus.” According to NIOSH, 85dB is the maximum level of noise one can be exposed to without suffering hearing loss after an 8-hour period. Bearing these reports in mind, all noises, even ones of trivial value such as vacuuming, exceed the National Insatiate for Occupational Safety and Health’s daily recommendation for exposure to noise levels. The notion of this inevitable susceptibility is causing a rapid increasing in the hard of hearing population in America- since threats to your hearing can come from virtually anywhere, even at the workplace. According to the National Health Interview Survey, “Nationally, it is estimated that 30 million individuals are exposed to excessive levels of noise at work.” The extent to which hearing loss is a problem for our generation is largely neglected and the preventative measures seem to be few and poorly ministered.

The aforementioned statistics are certainly alarming, considering that collective noise surpassing 85 dB in an eight period is detrimental to hearing and the primary causal factor of hearing loss. Needless to say, such an issue necessitates that all individuals actively participate and contribute to reducing noise levels and instilling a better quality of life for all Americans. Considering this prevalent exposure can affect ourselves as well as our loved ones, collective action can assuage the repercussions of living in a world where our hearing is susceptible to impairment or damage. The message is simple yet important; we can be our own catalyst for a better and healthier life.

The threat of hearing damage in this country is insidious and ineluctable, but for those who have some form of hearing loss there are many technologies and procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, that assist in the everyday activities that require a certain level of auditory capacity. These include but are not limited to: general hearing aids, cochlear implants, and various Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs). One fantastic and innovative service being offered called Phone Caption allows people to make calls and receive what the other party is saying via written message. This is similar to Captioned Television in that it provides a verbatim readable version of what is being said, in this case, making hearing loss during phone conversations a problem of the past. The latest voice-recognition technology is paired with specially trained operators who provide a transcription of what is being said in captions on an internet linked computer screen for the hard of hearing party. These relayed messages are displayed in real time as they are received. Phone Caption is a completely free service and helps integrate the hard of hearing back into a society where the simplest of things require a certain level of hearing ability. Whereas before, a phone conversation would have been nearly impossible to keep for a person who could not afford or did not want a hearing aid, Free Captioning allows them to communicate with their loved ones, lawyers, medical practitioners, friends, and several others in an easy and convenient fashion.

With Phone Caption, no longer should the deaf and hard of hearing feel victimized in a world where the ability to hear is often abused by the hearing and heavily susceptible to negative impacts. Those with sensorineural hearing loss (nerve-related deafness) or central hearing loss (deafness caused by damage to the central nervous system), many of which suffer these types of hearing loss due to pre-natal complications or age-related hearing decline, now have a way to keep in contact with their hearing counterparts on the phone: a crucial form of communication in today’s day and age. Additionally the service alleviates all qualms one may have about using novel technology. Free Captioning is federally funded and available for all Americans, in which the subscriber is provided with his/her personal 800 number to freely distribute to friends and family. The conversations are then conveyed on one’s personal computer screen or PDA device. The ability to dispense your personalized number to loved ones facilitates communication and enables ties to stay in tact.

Everyday devices such as cell phones, iPods and other MP3 players are actually hazardous to your long-term auditory health, and in a society where bigger and louder is better, it seems duplicitous that such small appliances should pack such a big punch for your ear drums. The in-ear headphones popularized by iPod culture is able to produce a volume of 130 dB, which is just above a loud clap of thunder (120 dB) or just under airplane take-off (140 dB). This level of volume going directly into the ear for a prolonged period of time destroys the tiny hair cells in the ear’s cochlea, which cannot, and will not regenerate. With special attention paid to auditory health (like listening to music on medium volume as opposed to full blast), hearing loss can be avoided. Nevertheless, it is comforting for all to know that there are services provided for those for whom hearing loss has become a facet of everyday life by simply taking advantage of Phone Caption as an immensely resourceful and user friendly technology.