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I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

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Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#281

Post by dvtv75 »

mrob wrote: post #102

Another possible source of unexpected extremely loud noises: cleaning things with compressed air. If you blow it through a small orifice of the right dimensions then it can act as a whistle. The energy will be concentrated at one frequency, and compressed air generally blows a lot harder than lung power. I first heard of this from a Youtube video, possibly from one of AvE's, although it could have been from somebody…

I bought a compressor a couple of years ago, and good grief is that thing noisy.

I always wearing hearing and eye protection when using it, and I'm glad for it. First time I tested the emergency release valve, I didn't know which direction it would release the air. If I hadn't been wearing safety glasses, I could have lost my eyes as it released directly into my face. I now have a rule of not allowing anybody in the workshop with me while using it, if they're not wearing both hearing and eye protection.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#282

Post by emmelaich »

fragsworth wrote: post #67

My hearing was ACTUALLY permanently damaged when a sticky iron weight fell on a leg press machine at a 24-hour fitness about 5 years ago. The weights looked like these: http://www.presentationzen.com/.a/6a00d83451b64669e201156eb4... One extra weight slab was "stuck" to the group that was supposed to get lifted. It was stuck because the weights at the gym were grimy from many years of use without being cleaned. The ex…

I saw someone do maintenance on a pile-driver while it was working right next to where the pile-driver hit.

It must have been really effective ear protection, but they didn't look so big. And never mind the sound, the whole head / body is going to be rattled by the vibrations. You wonder ...

[edit] I looked up the data. 190db peak for this type (H steel piles)

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#283

Post by stordoff »

saudioger wrote: post #89
flyinglizard wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get to visit clubs/shows every few months and I always use a pair of musician earplugs, (Etymotic, standard - not custom fitted). It gives a nice and even attenuation, which after few minutes you don't even notice (other than perhaps slightly elevating very low frequencies relative to the rest). Your mind is very quick to normalize the volume level anyway, no matter if you're with or without protection. Why suffer…

This exactly. Wear earplugs to shows. The levels are generally WAY TOO LOUD to begin with, and in my experience I actually hear/enjoy shows better with halfway decent earplugs. I can also leave shows, take them out, and hear normally immediately after. No more laying in bed that night being annoyed by minor hearing damage. You don't even have to be self conscious about it, they're barely visible when they're in.

> The levels are generally WAY TOO LOUD to begin with, and in my experience I actually hear/enjoy shows better with halfway decent earplugs.

Most venues I don't find it to be an issue, but one I was at recently was absurdly loud. I was sat at a 90 degree to the stage, and in one ear I could hear the sound crashing off the back wall to the point vocals were difficult to make out because it just sounded so muffled. Blocking that one ear instantly made it a much better experience.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#284

Post by nate_meurer »

l33tbro wrote: post #266
nate_meurer wrote: post #228

A little PSA: there is some evidence that magnesium can help prevent/cure acute noise-induced hearing loss. Google returns several reputable studies. Also: earplugs, earplugs, earplugs. I keep foam earplugs on me at all times. I have some in my fifth pants pocket, I keep some in a pill container on my keyring, some in my backpack, in my car, etc. I cut them in half; the half size fits easier and takes up less space,…

Magnesium can help, but the PSA for the layperson should be about getting prednisone in the first 24 hours of an acoustic trauma. I almost want to write this in all caps because this will literally save your hearing. I was lucky enough to learn about this right after my left ear stopped working (don't get me started about Apple earbuds) and managed to recover 90 percent of my hearing due to convincing my doc to give…

I didn't know that, yes, that makes perfect sense. I need to read about this some more.

Comments like this make HN such a valuable resource for me.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#285

Post by louprado »

biggieshellz wrote: post #177
brandall10 wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 42 years old and spent much of my teens and early 20s going to loud rock shows, raves, etc. I was rather stupid and always tried to get right up to the PA speakers at the front. I did not wear hearing protection. Many times I left shows with ringing for hours and that feeling like there is cotton stuffed in your ears for days. Not a handle of times - dozens of times. By my mid 20s it appeared I had tinnitus aroun…

FYI, if you lose hearing from noise exposure, you'll generally lose it around 4 KHz (noise notch). You generally lose the really high frequencies (20 KHz on down) due to presbycusis, hearing loss due to aging. Even if you can still hear the really high frequencies, you could still have a noise notch around 4 KHz. If you haven't already, go get an an audiogram. It's cheap (<$100) and will give you a baseline on how yo…

> FYI, if you lose hearing from noise exposure, you'll generally lose it around 4 KHz

I used http://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ to quickly profile my hearing and found significant loss around 4.0kHz. I have ridden a motorcycle most of my life and it is much worse in the ear that is on the same side as the exhaust.

I am not sure what a spectrogram looks like for a motorcycle but I would have assumed that most of the energy is in the lower end of the spectrum, given the steady cruising RPS is around 40Hz-70Hz. But, your comment seems to suggest that there is not a direct correlation between the frequency of the noise exposure and the hearing loss frequencies.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#286

Post by lsc »

randac wrote: post #237
lsc wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you can buy light plastic toilet lids if you like, in fact, they are rather cheaper than the more solid kinds. I don't think there's really anything wrong with plastic toilet seats, but they feel less good, I think, than the heavier, more solid toilet seats. The worst, in my mind, are the foam/shag carpet covers. those just seem wrong and gross - I mean I imagine my reaction is completely irrational, but I remember o…

This thread is regarding the lid to the toilet cistern, not the toilet lid itself.

Ah. A reading comprehension failure on my part. thanks.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#288

Post by emmelaich »

rubicon33 wrote: post #216
komali2 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever since that video where the girl's legs go chicken style so very slowly while she screams, I've been scared as shit to get on that thing.

uhhh... what?

What, can't you hear?

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#289

Post by protomyth »

A safer toilet bowl lid (!) should bust apart on impact, using up the energy by breaking molecular bonds.

Please, no. We don't need to substitute one injury type for another. I can only imagine the cuts that would result from a lid that breaks. A plastic or rubber liner on the top of the toilet tank would be sufficient.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#290

Post by emmelaich »

LukeShu wrote: post #49
fwdpropaganda wrote: post #36

Damn, this is one smart plumber.

Dr. Philip Metzger is a planetary physicist who recently retired from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where he co-founded the KSC Swamp Works. He now is now at the University of Central Florida -- but still a part of the Swamp Works team -- his website

and from the thread ..

> was responsible for lab safety including hearing protection.

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