Newsgroups: sci.military.naval
From: baldwin@netcom.com (J.D. Baldwin)
Subject: Re: Loss of hearing due to deck/sonar work
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 18:15:52 GMT

In article <36CCB42F.F8327080@ix.netcom.com>, Andrew Venor
<alvenor@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Seriously, the effect of working unprotected in a high noise
> environment can over time cause hearing loss.

And tinnitus (ringing in the ears).  Very unpleasant.

> To counter this, the Navy conducts sound surveys in high noise
> environments to determine the risk.  With this data the Navy will them
> determine the level of protection required for personnel working
> there.  This protection can be ear plugs, over the ear protection (ear
> muffs), or both.

Of course, if it means actually spending a few bucks, forget it.  My
last job in the Navy was in Air Operations.  Hearing protection was
impractical because we had to listen to multiple radios.  But when an
F-18 hit that three-wire, it sounded like a gunshot going off in
there.

The ship's industrial hygienist said that there are hearing protectors
that allow listening to normal volumes, but shut off when an impulse
noise kicks in.  He also said there was no chance in hell we could
actually get these things for the division, due to the cost.  (Around
$100 per unit.)

> If over the course of your Naval career you do suffer hearing damage,
> at the end of your enlistment or retirement you could be awarded a
> certain percentage disability, which would be compensated by
> disability pay.

Of course, if you retire (or get out on VSI), this is essentially
meaningless, as other pays are offset by the amount of disability
paid.  (There is a small tax advantage to this, but that's not
the same thing as direct compensation.)

A lot of people have reported that the DVA is very stingy with
hearing-loss disability ratings, because there's no way to prove or
disprove that your hearing is shot.  It's easy to pretend not to hear
something.  I can't vouch for that personally; I wasn't even expecting
a disability rating for my own tinnitus/HFHL (I just wanted to get it
documented), but they awarded me 10%.
--
 From the catapult of J.D. Baldwin  |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I
   _,_    Finger baldwin@netcom.com |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to
 _|70|___:::)=}-  for PGP public    |+| retract it, but also to deny under
 \      /         key information.  |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
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Newsgroups: sci.military.naval
From: baldwin@netcom.com (J.D. Baldwin)
Subject: Re: Loss of hearing due to deck/sonar work
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 21:09:52 GMT

In article <None-2502991300350001@pm472.ridgenet.net>, Sandcrab
<None@CrabNet.net> wrote:
> I was a sparktrician and listening to the ditty dahs left me with a
> hearing loss and tinnitus.  When I retired in 77 I got 10% for it.
> Until recently there was not much DVA could do about this type of high
> frequency hearing loss.  They now have hearing aids made by Oticon
> that help some.  They cost about $2K apiece and I have one for each
> ear.  They also have a new type of machine that can tell what you can
> and cannot hear no matter what you claim.  They put a gizmo in your
> ear and it feeds sounds in and somehow measures the response your ear
> gives it.  Have no idea how it works but I've had lots of hearing
> tests over the yeard this machine gave the same results so it must
> work.

Yes, I've had that impedance test (I believe that's how they referred
to it) about four times.  As it was explained to me, it can't detect
(or refute) the presence of tinnitus, and it won't detect certain
sources of HFHL, but it can diagnose specific problems.

My own tinnitus has lessened a bit (or, at least, that's how I
perceive it) in the four years since I left the service (five since I
was exposed to ridiculously loud noises on a regular basis).  But
it's still with me all day, every day.
--
 From the catapult of J.D. Baldwin  |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I
   _,_    Finger baldwin@netcom.com |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to
 _|70|___:::)=}-  for PGP public    |+| retract it, but also to deny under
 \      /         key information.  |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
***~~~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: sci.military.naval
From: baldwin@netcom.com (J.D. Baldwin)
Subject: Re: Loss of hearing due to deck/sonar work
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:36:52 GMT

In article <QUTn0QAEoc12EwLi@pickmere.demon.co.uk>, M.J.Powell
<mike@pickmere.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >My own tinnitus has lessened a bit (or, at least, that's how I
> >perceive it) in the four years since I left the service (five since I
> >was exposed to ridiculously loud noises on a regular basis).  But
> >it's still with me all day, every day.
>
> I find that coffee and smoking makes my tinnitis worse.

I never heard of that effect.  I don't smoke, but I drink massive
amounts of coffee.  If I skip a day (or even a morning), the resulting
headache is bad enough that I really don't notice whether tinnitus is
present or not.

I used to take a lot of aspirin for the arthritis in my hand (due to
an off-duty injury, for which I have a 0% disability rating BTW), and
on particularly bad days, this noticeably increased my tinnitus.  I
mentioned this to a doctor, and he said it was a well-known effect of
aspirin that it causes or intensifies tinnitus.  So I switched to the
excellent OTC drug Motrin, and got the anti-inflammatory benefit
without the increased ringing.
--
 From the catapult of J.D. Baldwin  |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I
   _,_    Finger baldwin@netcom.com |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to
 _|70|___:::)=}-  for PGP public    |+| retract it, but also to deny under
 \      /         key information.  |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
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