{"id":1463,"date":"2022-05-20T18:12:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T23:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/?p=1463"},"modified":"2022-05-20T18:12:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T23:12:25","slug":"how-can-farmers-protect-their-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/how-can-farmers-protect-their-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Farmers Protect Their Hearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Occupational hearing loss refers to hearing loss that is caused by exposure to hazardous noise levels<\/a> while on the job. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, an estimated 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise each year. Of these 22 million, many are farmers. We review the relationship between farming and hearing loss below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Loud Sound Cause Damage?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Within the inner ear is the cochlea, which is a snail-shaped organ lined with tiny hair cells called stereocilia. The stereocilia\u2019s job is to convert incoming soundwaves into electrical energy that travels via the auditory nerve to the brain to be interpreted as sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When dangerously loud sounds pass through the ears, it can damage or destroy the stereocilia. This type of damage is irreversible, and the result is permanent sensorineural hearing loss. The threshold that is considered safe is 85 dB \u2013 about the volume of passing highway traffic. Anything louder can cause damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Are Farmers at Risk of Occupational Hearing Loss?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to one study<\/a>, farmers are frequently exposed to excessive noise, ranking among the top three occupations and industries with the highest risk for hearing loss<\/a>. This is due to exposure to the sounds of livestock and machinery, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n