Temporary Hearing Losses in Teen-Agers Attending Repeated Rock-And-Roll Sessions

Abstract

This study investigated the hearing of teenagers who voluntarily exposed themselves to repeated sessions of loudly amplified pop music. Hearing thresholds were measured before and 30 min after exposure for each of 8 weekly sessions of rock-and-roll music with an average sound pressure level of 110 dB to 115 dB. Significant temporary threshold shifts were found in all subjects, especially in the high frequencies. Hearing sensitivity recovered between the repeated exposures, and a 5-month follow-up study found that the hearing in all subjects but one had returned to its initial pre-exposure level. The exposure had differential effects on the two ears at the same test frequencies.