It is known that musicians are exposed to potentially harmful sound levels during the course of regular practice, rehearsal, and performance. As a result, these individuals may have an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Previous research has shown that in typical daily practice, musicians can exceed daily recommended exposure limits (O'Brien et al., 2013). This research suggests that classical musicians are at high risk for NIHL according to t he National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ( US Department of Health and Human Services, 1998) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines . In addition, distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) amplitude shifts have been found to be a sensitive measure for impact of high noise levels on inner-ear function (Lonsbury-Martin et al., 1990). The very livelihoods of musicians could depend on the development of NIHL awareness and prevention strategies. This study reports the sound-level exposures that University of Arizona music students experience in two hours of solitary practice and whether any correlative change in DPOAE amplitude occurred. Utilizing noise dosimetry, measurements of average sound levels and equivalent exposure for an eight-hour period were taken and compared to NIOSH and OSHA guidelines. Changes in inner-ear function were measured by DPOAE amplitudes taken immediately before and after each practice session. The goal of this research is to present data regarding sound-level exposure and address any significance in the correlative relationship between practice-session exposure levels and any shift in outer hair-cell function as determined by pre- and post-practice DPOAE evaluation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/625363 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Smith, Jason D., Smith, Jason D. |
| Contributors | Velenovsky, David, Velenovsky, David, Dean, James, Story, Brad, Duncan, Burris R. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Electronic Dissertation |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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