Wedding Band Noise Exposure Scare — Both Ears Ringing More Loudly Now

Hi everyone,

I attended a wedding a few days ago, got really drunk and have scared myself though exposing myself to a loud wedding band for a short time (with earplugs). Both ears are now ringing more loudly than usual.

I wore moulded silicone earplugs the entire time, but the wedding band was very loud (106 dB on my phone app). I sat outside in the quiet area most of the 2 hours the band played, only briefly coming into the band room to get a drink for a minute or so a few times. However I stupidly danced to the final song by the band because I was pulled in there by someone whilst I was drunk. This must have been for 3-5 minutes or so about 8 meters from the band (106/7 dB).

I also did dance to some dance/DJ music for about an hour after the band finished, however that was much quieter than the band (approx 90-95 dB) and did not feel anywhere as nearly offensive as the band music.

I have never seen a live band since I have had tinnitus – drums etc are just too much, and now I have scared myself that I have made my tinnitus permanently worse for the short(ish) 5 minutes time I was exposed to the full brunt of it.

There is no denying it was loud, but with earplugs and only a shortish exposure to the full volume of the band of around 5 minutes, do you think it’s possible my tinnitus spike will subside, or is it more likely permanent?

Thanks all,
R

 

@Rust I feel you're playing with fire. No need to expose yourself for one minute longer than necessary! This is from a jerk who thought he could do it!

 

What was the ear plugs' NRR?

 

They are custom silicone plugs with a solid fill instead of an attenuating filter.

Approx 25 dB, the audiologist told me 30-35 dB, but I don’t trust that.

 

I suspect that this is just a temporary spike.

 

Hard to know, but there are a number of variables here.

- We don't truly know the NRR of the earplugs.
- Were the earplugs fully inserted?
- Was the db meter on the phone accurate? Particularly Android ones are quite a bit off.
- How long was the exposure exactly?

Overall, if we go with the suppositions, 106 db of noise exposure is really loud. In fact, if this was occupational, it would require both earplugs, and ear muffs. Earplugs alone are clearly inadequate protection for such a high exposure. Alcohol mixed in is another problem.

This spike will most likely improve, but take this as a warning that sooner or later these spikes will become permanent.

 

After being exposed to loud music (disco), I get a roar in my head for circa 2 days. In the beginning of this roar my tinnitus is gone. I think the roar is covering my tinnitus. I like the roar more than my tinnitus, because it's more low-pitched.
After some time the roar gets quieter, and my normal tinnitus becomes more audible.
It always goes back to my normal tinnitus after some days.

P.S. Yes I use earplugs (-25 dB), but I get this head roar every time when I come from noisy places.

 

Research 3M ear plugs. Can't believe anything.

 

Makes me question how good their ear muffs actually are.

@Bill Bauer have you seen anything about their muffs not being up to snuff?

 

Nothing about 'muffs', the real question is that 3M did it to the military, so why not lie about all their products. Who is checking the validity/quality of any product?

 

It could subside (and probably will subside), but if you don't learn from this experience and keep taking those risks, eventually a time might come when it won't subside...

 

I haven't received a notification about the above!

Most people don't insert their earplugs correctly and so the dB reduction that you want to use is not the one on the package, you need to use the method described in
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...how-to-use-the-noise-reduction-rating-nrr.pdf
http://www.sensear.com/blog/noise-reduction-rating-nrr-a-beginner’s-guide
https://www.earsandears.com/noise-reduction-ratings-nrr-safe-noise-levels/
https://www.coopersafety.com/earplugs-noise-reduction

I've tried other plugs, and 3M plugs feel like they provide more noise reduction.

 

You beat yourself up for being stupid, but there's one thing you actually did right:

You carried hearing protection the whole time
​

Moulded silicone earplugs is a reliable protection at that. You'll have to wait and see, but you boosted the chances for your spike to go down immensely by being cautious.

I think I understand how you feel right now. I was exposed to a popping balloon a week ago myself, and I immediately started to calculate the distance and check how well my hearing protection was fitted (I carried foam ear plugs that unfortunately had started to glide out on the left side, but I also carried ear muffs on top of them. All things considered, I could have done a lot worse than wearing double protection when this kind of severe noise incident struck.)

The bottom line: you didn't take it flat footed, so you are not a fool, and chances are you'll bounce back.

 

Jack, did you see the video about NRR ratings? It appears they over rate them.

'How does NRR change decibels of exposure?
When hearing protection is worn, your level of exposure to noise is based on the NRR rating of the protection device being used. Keep in mind, however, that while the NRR is measured in decibels, the hearing protector being used does not reduce the surrounding decibel level by the exact number of decibels associated with that protector’s NRR. For example, if you are at a rock concert where the level of noise exposure is 100 dB and you are wearing earplugs with an NRR 33dB, your level of exposure would not be reduced to 67 dB. Instead, to determine the actual amount of decibel deduction applied (when decibels are measured dBA which is the most common), you take the NRR number (in dB), subtract seven, and then divide by two. Given the previous example, your noise reduction equation would look like the following: (33-7)/2 = 13'

 

I am not so sure about this. Can you share the source?

OSHA just says subtract 7, not divide by two. I am still looking, but I can't find an official source to confirm or deny what you posted. There is an insane amount of conflicting information.

 

OSHA is another government waste. Remember the EPA 2 days after 9/11 the air quality at ground zero is safe.

Divide by two or multiply by .50 is a general number that is it calculates for imperfections like maybe you didn't put it in your ear correctly. Or while using them they slip a little. Or like 3M knowingly manufacture defective earplugs.

It appears guide is earmuffs 25% - 7 = the rating. Earplugs 50% - 7.

 

No one should put their hearing at risk to begin with.

 

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/prevention/ppe/ear_prot.html

I am pretty surprised by all of this. I don't think many people here even know this.

 

Jack, keep it a secret, we need more members.

 

Did your spike subside?