How to Protect Your Hearing This Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a time for celebration, marked by cookouts, community parades, and, of course, fireworks that light up the night sky. At HEAR Wisconsin, we love a good celebration, but we also want to help you and your family protect your hearing, especially during holidays where the noise around you can become dangerously loud.

Fireworks 

Fireworks can reach sound levels as high as 125 decibels (dB), louder than a jackhammer or a rock concert. Even a few seconds of exposure at this volume can cause permanent hearing damage, especially at close range. 

Tips to stay safe: 

• Watch fireworks from a distance. Be at least 500 feet away when possible. 

• Bring earplugs or noise-reducing earmuffs to the show. 

• For young children, use kid-sized earmuffs designed for loud environments. 

Parades Can Be Surprisingly Loud 

Community parades often include fire trucks, marching bands, motorcycles, and semi-trucks, all of which can produce startlingly loud bursts of sound. A single blast of a siren or horn can exceed 120 dB, which can damage hearing almost instantly if you're nearby. 

Tips to protect your ears: 

• Scope out a quieter viewing area away from the main speakers or sirens. 

• Cover your ears during loud segments, especially when sirens or horns pass. 

• Hand out fun red, white, and blue earmuffs to kids. Be festive and protective! 

Look Out for the Warning Signs 

If you experience any of the following after the festivities, it may be a sign your ears were exposed to damaging noise: 

• Ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) 

• Muffled hearing 

• Difficulty understanding speech in background noise 

Don’t wait! These can be early signs of hearing loss. Contact HEAR Wisconsin to make an appointment for a hearing evaluation with one of our Doctors of Audiology.