Misapplication of the 85 Decibel Occupational Noise Exposure Standard to the Public is Causing an Epidemic of Hearing Loss

There is an unrecognized epidemic of noise induced hearing loss in the United States based on misapplication of the 85 decibel occupational noise exposure standard to the public. The safe average noise exposure level to avoid hearing loss is only 70 dB for 24 hours. Unfortunately, the 85 dB standard has been misinterpreted and adopted by manufacturers, audiologists, and others asa safe noise exposure level without a specified time limit. The Equal Energy Hypothesiss tates that equal amounts of sound energy cause equal amounts of hearing loss regardless of the distribution of energy across time. Occupational noise exposure occurs 8 hours/day, 250 days/year, for a 40 year career, but the public is exposed to noise 24 hours/day, 365 days/year, for an average 78 year life span. This exposure causes auditory damage. Hearing loss is not part of normal physiological aging. In quiet primitive societies, auditory acuity is preserved into old age. To stop the epidemic of hearig loss, noise control engineers need to partner with physicians, audiologists, public health experts, legislators, and regulators to help the public achieve the 70 dB safe average daily noise exposure.