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You鈥檙e listening to the podcast edition of the 麻豆传媒 audio newsline. Learn more about 麻豆传媒 on the Web at .
At college and professional basketball games across the nation, noise has become part of the show. Even at middle school and high school games, gymnasiums are like echo chambers, reverberating with sounds from the pep band and shrieking fans. All of this noise concerns 麻豆传媒 audiologist Ray Hull.
Hull: 鈥淏asketball games from grade school, middle school, high school, college and on into professional levels are fun, they鈥檙e exciting, but they鈥檙e also very loud. And therefore, without realizing it, our hearing can become affected.鈥�
Some NBA teams have turned a game into producing an event. Mammoth speakers hanging above the court thunder music and clamorous sound effects louder than a jumbo jet engine. But even much smaller high school gymnasiums can turn into echo chambers, as Hull explains.
Hull: 鈥淔rom small gymnasiums to large arenas, almost inadvertently they are designed to amplify sound. They are reverberation chambers. Therefore they amplify sound more than they might have otherwise.鈥�
Hull says the problem is that the intensity level at some basketball games can permanently damage hearing.
Hull: 鈥淲hen you combine all the noise that we listen to during a basketball game, the intensity of that noise -- from the pep band to the crowd, the PA system -- can reach levels that are damaging to our hearing up to around 115 decibels. At that intensity level, we can stand that noise without permanent damage to our hearing for approximately seven and a half minutes.鈥�
According to Hull, some fans are more likely to experience hearing loss than others.
Hull: 鈥淭hose who are most susceptible to damage to their hearing are those who are sitting, for example, near the pep band or, of course, for those in the pep band, because intensity levels can reach 125 to 130 decibels. At that intensity level, you are susceptible to permanent damage to your hearing after about a minute and a half of exposure.鈥�
Hull isn鈥檛 against crowd noise and enthusiasm at a basketball game, but he says fans should consider taking steps to protect their hearing.
Hull: 鈥淢y recommendation is that to enjoy the game, but also protect our hearing, we should be wearing hearing protectors, and by that I鈥檓 talking about ear plugs, the noise reducing plugs that can be bought at the grocery store or any sporting goods store.鈥�
Hull explains why many people don鈥檛 wear hearing protection at basketball games.
Hull: 鈥淚 think the reason why people don鈥檛 wear hearing protectors as much as they should is because either they鈥檙e not aware of the potential damage to their hearing, or perhaps they don鈥檛 care, or perhaps they don鈥檛 want to look like a wimp by wearing hearing protection during a basketball game.鈥�
Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 麻豆传媒.