Sorry, But This Has Been Said Since The 70's

If Our Generation Doesn't Learn to Wear Earplugs at Concerts, We'll Pay for It Later

Tucked in the northeast corner of Miami's Ultra Music Festival near the UMF Radio stage, dozens are unabashedly grabbing condoms courtesy of the Florida Department of Health. Most pick up the flavored ones that come in pineapple and strawberry varieties, and there are the confident few who grab the Magnum XLs. (Just a reminder, kids: Set your ego aside and make sure the condom fits properly.)

However, the table next door is giving away an even better form of protection: earplugs.

"The response has been so great. We can't keep them on the table," says Dr. Tricia Scaglione, an audiologist at the festival with the University of Miami Health System. She, along with Dr. Dana Libman and a handful of volunteers, wants to educate Ultra's attendees about hearing loss.

Their table isn't exactly buzzing with activity on Saturday when I stop by to speak with them. They admit that at first people hesitate to approach, perhaps a little afraid to face the truth: The volume levels at festivals like Ultra often exceed 100 decibels, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), can cause damage after more than 15 minutes of exposure. (Even at 85 decibels, WHO says exposure should be limited to no more than eight hours a day.) Ultra lasted for three days, more than 30 hours of exposure.

With a decibel reader installed on my iPhone, I measured decibel levels from 96 to 107 at the various stages around Ultra. However, Libman warned me that the mics on smartphones usually cancel out background noise — a feature that helps the call quality but can prevent decibel-level apps from picking up the bass, meaning that the levels were probably much higher than what my phone could pick up.

So, with levels so dangerously high, why aren't more people concerned about hearing loss?

"I believe the most common misconception about using earplugs is that they will interfere with the enjoyment of music," Libman says. "This can be absolutely true if the wrong kind of plugs are used. There are different types of hearing protection for different types of sounds."

(LAWeekly.com)