The men and women who serve our country in uniform too frequently endure incapacitating mental, physical, and emotional challenges after their service has ended. Within the continuing discussion about veteran’s healthcare, the most commonly diagnosed disability is often relatively neglected: Hearing loss and tinnitus.
Veterans are 30% more likely than non-veterans to suffer from significant hearing impairment, even when age and occupation are taken into account. Hearing loss, related to military service, has been documented at least back to World War 2, but it’s much more widespread in veterans who have served more recently. Veterans who have served recently are generally among the younger group of service members and are also up to four times more likely to have hearing loss than non-veterans.
Why are veterans at greater risk for hearing loss?
Two words: Noise exposure. Sure, some occupations are noisier than others. Librarians, for instance, are normally in a more quiet setting. The sound level that they would usually be exposed to would be from 30dB (a whisper) to 60 dB (normal conversation).
For civilians who are at the other end of the sonic spectrum, like a city construction worker, the danger rises. Sounds you’d constantly hear (heavy traffic, around 85 dB) or periodically (an ambulance siren’s around 120 dB) are at unsafe levels, and that’s just background noise. Research has shown that construction equipment noise, everything from power tools to heavy loaders, exposes laborers to noises louder than 85 dB.
As noisy as a heavy construction site is, active military personnel are constantly subjected to much louder noises. This is certainly true in combat areas, where troops hear sounds like gunfire (150 dB), hand grenades (158 dBA), and artillery (180 dB). And it’s not quiet at military bases either. On the deck of an aircraft carrier, noise levels can go from 130-160 dB; engine rooms may be indoors (and not have jets taking off), but they’re still incredibly loud. For aviators, noise levels are high as well, with choppers being well above 100 dB and jets and other planes also being well above 100 dB. Another worry: One study found that exposure to some forms of jet fuel seems to cause hearing loss by disrupting auditory processing.
Our service men and women don’t have the choice of opting out, as a 2015 study plainly demonstrates. In order to complete a mission or perform daily activities, they have to deal with noise exposure. And even though hearing protection is standard issue, lots of the sounds just outlined are so loud that even the best-performing hearing protection is not enough.
What can veterans do to address hearing loss?
Even though hearing loss due to noise exposure is permanent, the impairment can be reduced with hearing aids. The loss of high-pitch sound is the most prevalent type of hearing impairment among veterans and this kind of impairment can be treated with specialized hearing aids. Tinnitus is frequently a symptom of another health issue and although it can’t be cured, there are also treatment options for it.
Veterans have already made lots of sacrifices in serving our country. Hearing shouldn’t have to be one of them.
