Air horns threaten our ears at the arena

Prince Edward Island’s chief medical health officer contacted the organization that governs organized hockey in the province in December. She relayed to them a message she received about the damage that compressed air horns, which are widely used in arenas, can cause.

Air horns can produce a sound of 100 decibels or moreshe wrote to Hockey PEI.

Noises of more than 70 decibels, long, repeated and in close proximity, can cause hearing loss when an individual is exposed to them.

This reminder from the public health official is not surprising Krista Campbellaudiologist at Charlottetown.

The noise to which the public is exposed during sporting events is an example quite common environmental noise from everyday life that her patients worry about, she says.

The sound is a change in air pressure. In an object like an air horn, the pressure is very high, so the sound level is very high, and hits the eardrum more intenselyexplain Krista Campbell.

If someone often visits an arena where these air horns are used, they could cause long-term damage [à l’ouïe].

The hearing specialist is happy the issue is getting the attention it deserves. We want people to have fun and encourage their teamshe says, but there are simple ways to keep these risks to a minimum.

Hearing loss is 100% preventable

The simplest and quickest way to protect your hearing, in any situation, is to protect your earsthis Krista Campbell.

Earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, protective headphones or earmuffs: all can provide some level of protection.

The best hearing protection is the one you are going to want to wear and use.

For those who want to go further, custom earplugs custom-made to the shape of an individual’s ears are worth the investment, she notes. Otherwise, I prefer helmetssaid the audiologist.

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In the absence of protection, one can move, even for a moment, when the noise becomes too loud.

Audiologists, says Krista Campbell, We often joke that we like it when people go to the tent where we drink beer during concerts, because it takes them away from the noise for a little while and gives their ears a break.

Hearing loss is 100% preventableshe declares.

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Confused players on the ice

Many amphitheaters in North America have banned air horns and other objects that generate loud noises. In Prince Edward Island, they are banned in two of the province’s largest arenas: the center Eastlink has Charlottetown and the place Credit Union has Summerside.

Tanner Doiron, events and communications manager at the City of Summersiderecognizes that the measure adopted in 2023 is not easy to enforce. This is relatively simple when there are large crowds and security guards at the entrance, but less so for regular matches which attract smaller numbers of spectators.

He is himself a hockey referee and visits different arenas. He notes that we hear fewer horns than before, but there have been fairly tumultuous matches where it became difficult for the referee, players and coaches to hear each other.

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This makes things difficult for a referee who has to manage the match and communicate with the players after a whistle.concedes Tanner Doiron.

Another effect that spectators do not necessarily think about is that the noise of these horns, heard from the ice rink, sometimes confuses the players, who believe they have heard the referee blowing a whistle to stop play. It makes things confusing on the ice.

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Hockey PEI does not have a directive on horns, and encourages fans to respect regulations and restrictions on sound devices in the arenas they visit.

In an email, the general director of Hockey PEI, Tami Lewisindicated that she had forwarded the letter from the D^re Morrison to all minor hockey association presidents, members of their boards of directors and the general director of Recreation PEIa non-profit organization promoting physical activity.

According to the report of Gwyneth Egan, of CBC