Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health says that your daily subway commute can be hazardous to your hearing. Dr. Robyn Gershon announced the findings of a study which found that noise from the platform and inside cars exceeds safe limits. We suppose that listening to intense jackhammering and construction while waiting for weekend subway service also puts us at risk. Here's some interesting news from the study:
Average and maximum noise measurements were made using a precision sound level meter on subway platforms located in the four New York boroughs with underground subways (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens). The average maximum noise level on subway platforms measured was 94 decibels (dBA). The average maximum inside of subway cars was 95 dBA, and at bus stops, the average maximum was 84 dBA. For comparison, approximate levels of familiar sounds are: 45-60 dBA for normal conversation, 100 dBA for a chainsaw and 140 dBA for a gunblast. The logarithmic nature of decibels means that every 10 dBA equals a 10 fold increase in intensity. Thus a 90 dBA sound is 10 times as intense as an 80 dBA sound.
"Several factors have the potential to contribute to hearing loss, including years of ridership, frequency of ridership, and length of rides," observes Dr. Gershon. If a rider is exposed to other high noise-level activities such as a personal listening device, the potential for hearing loss is even greater." Dr. Gershon further notes that even short exposures to very high noise levels can cause the same amount of damage as much longer exposures at lower levels...
...Because excessive noise exposure can ultimately result in noise induced hearing loss, Dr. Gershon notes that risk reduction is the best strategy. Many steps have been taken and continue to be taken by large transit systems, including the Metropolitan Transit Authority, to help reduce subway noise. Steps that individuals can take include the use of personal hearing protection devices (e.g., earplugs and earmuffs). The use of cotton or fingers only reduces the noise levels slightly. The use of personal listening devices, which many may think is protective, can actually contribute to noise exposure if they are played at high volumes. Public education and awareness on hearing protection in general, is highly recommended.
Did you hear that? Not only are you riding in a tin can that sounds like a chainsaw, your iPod could also be making you deaf. And we knew we liked laughing at people who cover their ears on the subway for a reason.
amNew York reported the NYC Transit Authority's naturally defensive response: The study is "fundamentally flawed due to inadequate research. It fails to take into account several noise abatement measures that have been undertake." (The NYCTA says "improved track and wheel technology to cut the noise levels.")
Photograph by bhaggs on Flickr
