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Posted by Howard N. Gutnick
In Reply to: Loud Noises at Work and Hearing Protection Gear posted by solrac
Sound can reach the inner ear by either of two routes, air conduction
through the earcanal or by causing the bones of the skull to vibrate,
which is called bone conduction.
The air conducted route is a far more effective and efficient pathway.
The bone conducted pathway introduces about 60 dB of loss. So for
instance, if you were at an event that had an enviromental sound level
of 100 dB and were perfectly able to block the sound through the
earcanal with a hearing protector, your ear would still hear the sound
at 40 dB because of bone conduction. Therefore, the maximum protection
that any combination of hearing protectors can provide is 60 dB
because of bone conduction.
Howard N. Gutnick, Ph.D.
Atlantic Coast Ear Specialists
hgutnick@home.com
www.earaces.com
