[CAUT] Hearing Protection Desirable for Tuning?

[BRENT.FISCHER@asu.edu]

  Bob,

    You mentioned you have some tinnitus and stated that there should be more
emphasis on hearing damage caused by tuning. My story is clear evidence that
long term exposure can ruin your hearing and your life.

    I have had acute tinnitus for more than a year. High pitched ringing and
bi-tones that match certain notes. The tinnitus matching scale has me pegged at
the highest readings possible, around 35db of internal sound, in the brain that
level is catastrophic. Since the sudden onset I continued to work with the help
of multiple medications that completely fogged my thinking and hearing, but
reached a point of no return last May and completely collapsed. The hearing loss
I have is not serious but noise induced so tuning and rebuilding for thirty
years without consistent hearing protection was certainly the cause.

   The inner ear hair cells are the conduit to the brain for auditory signals.
When bent or broken there exists an electrical misfiring so the brain will
create a signal and sound to replace what it isn't receiving from the inner ear.
Tinnitus is not yet well understood or treatable. With one of the best doctors
in the country working on me there has been no improvement. This story should be
printed on the front cover of the PTG journal so everyone runs to an audiologist
for earplugs. Tinnitus has shaved ten or more years from my career, I have just
resigned from my post at ASU and am on medical disability, the financial and
personal losses are devastating. The tinnitus is so severe that even simple
daily tasks are getting difficult and now I face the possibilty of needing to
move to an assisted living facility. This story is grim but hopefully will help
get the news out that hearing protection is not an option but mandatory.

  Rick Florence participated here at ASU in a hearing study a few years ago that
showed our average db exposure over a day of work was at 83db, with spikes of
over 95db during some of the tuning. Not enough for Risk Management to require
us to use hearing protection but they were concerned. I chose to back off of
hard test blows on practice pianos and saved them for recital work, being an
aural tuner I had difficulty setting a fine temperment quickly with earplugs so
I elected not to use them. If you have even mild tinnitus I suggest you read the
web page of Dr. Micheal Robb, he is treating me and is identified as a national
expert in the subject.