Are married white men in convertibles doomed to deafness?

If you're a married white male driving a convertible, you're more likely to experience noise-induced hearing loss.

(Credit: NCBrian/Flickr)

Researchers this week revealed the results of some demographics studies of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), something they say had yet to be studied to this extent. If you're a married white male driving a convertible, listen up while you still can.

The studies were presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation's 2009 annual meeting in San Diego this week. One study, which analyzed the audiometric testing data from 5,290 people ages 20 to 69, finds that more than 13 percent suffer from some level of NIHL, which means some 24 million Americans might as well. The strongest association they found is gender, with men being 2.5 times as likely as women to develop NIHL. Among men, those who are married (too much nagging?) and white (they specify "non-Hispanic") are at the highest risk.

Another study looked at drivers who ride in convertibles with the top down on a regular basis. Researchers say that long or repeated exposure to noise above 85 decibels can result in permanent hearing loss; in the convertibles they studied going 50, 60, and 70 miles per hour, drivers were consistently exposed to sounds between 88 and 90 decibels--due to noise associated with road surfaces, traffic congestion, wind, etc.

As a frame of reference, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association says that "faint" sounds (library, whispering) are 30 decibels; "moderate" sounds (quiet room, rainfall) are 40 to 50; "very loud" sounds (vacuum cleaner, busy traffic) are 60 to 80; "extremely loud" sounds (chain saw, drum rolls) are 90 to 110; and "painful" sounds (jet plan takeoff, rock music peak) are 120 to 150. Riding in a convertible, then, results in exposure to "very" and "extremely" loud sounds. (The association did not rate the decibel level of nagging, though "conversation" clocks in at 60 decibels, so extrapolate from there as you will.)

Yet another study, which identified 3,559 men with hearing loss, found that while increased intakes of antioxidant vitamins such as C, E, and beta carotene have no effect on one's risk of hearing loss, men over the age of 60 who consumed high amounts of folates (found in spinach, asparagus, beans, peas, and liver) had about a 20 percent decrease in risk of developing hearing loss.

The authors say this is the largest study to delve prospectively into the relationship between diet and hearing loss. They relied on data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohort, active between 1986 to 2004 and involving more than 50,000 male health professionals who filled out detailed health and diet questionnaires every other year.

Of course, male and female motorcycle drivers of any ethnicity, relationship status, and dietary tendency are probably at greater risk of hearing loss than those who do not ride motorcycles. In the meantime, if you start seeing white men with wedding rings munching on greens in their convertibles, you'll know why.

[Perry_Clease]

Interesting study. Did they also look into drivers who listen to music that is so loud that it rattles windows in other cars?

[William Crow]

Maybe married guys that ride in convertibles do it on purpose to go deaf to the point they cannot hear their wives nagging.

[Perry_Clease]

Selective hearing loss. <br /><br />Seriously there be something to the hearing loss from riding in a convertible. Driving in a hardtop with the window can probably have an effect in hearing loss.

[katznaperr]

I can personally attest to the validity of that comment.

[wangbang]

One thing's for sure, they are prone to looking like fat, balding, old doofuses when they drive around in a convertible.

[sodapop2k9]

"and white (they specify "non-Hispanic") " .... Are you daft? non-hispanic doesn't mean white. There are plenty of white hispanics. Jesus, the articles on CNET become more and more ridiculous every day.

[squished]

Ease off. You basically proved her point with your statement. She said "white, (they specify non-Hispanic)". In other words, white people that are non-Hispanic. This would imply there are Hispanic white folks out there. And if you read the actual article, which I doubt you did, she's pretty much pulling straight from it where it says "married white (non-Hispanic) men"

[RobertFHarwood]

I wonder about the noise we in the industry were exposed to in the mainframe and server rooms? We didn't notice how loud it was until things were shutdown. It was loud in the low frequency range, almost and I am sure, below hearing level, but still loud. I remember some mainframe rooms that my whole body hummed with the sound. Since I have been in the profession since 1975 I am not suprised how bad my hearing is.

[mjd420nova]

Falling into this rather confining category seems a bit remote. I always drive with the drivers window down out of habit and need for fresh air. I work in a very noisy environment that requires 30DB suppression ear plugs so find many normal noises too loud, especially the clowns with the music so loud it can be heard blocks away.

[ikramerica--2008]

Window down is nearly as bad. You will experience hearing loss in your left ear if you keep it up. You don't need fresh air right in your face like that. You can crack three windows to get circulation and less noise. Habits are hard to break, but most habits are bad ones...

[Perry_Clease]

"Window down is nearly as bad....You don't need fresh air right in your face like that. You can crack three windows to get circulation and less noise. "<br /><br />Can they bring back wing windows so we can aim fresh air at our faces?<br /><br />"You will experience hearing loss in your left ear if you keep it up."<br /><br />I am a middle-aged white guy, approaching old fart, let us not bring up "keep it up." :)<br /><br />My first car was a '63 Impala convertible, 327 engine, dual exhaust. I miss that car, hot or cold outside I would have the top down while driving unless it was raining or snowing. Sold it when I went to Vietnam where I further damaged my hearing from gun fire and diesel sounds. The damage from loud sounds add up over the years and I could probably benefit from hearing aids now.

[Gabey8]

They need to test the hearing of the people I've encountered on the subway who are playing their MP3s so loudly, I can hear the music leaking from their earphones from ten feet away... *while* the train is moving. <br /><br />I can only imagine what they, and the people whose blaring car stereos register on the Richter scale, are doing to their ears.

[dascha1]

Personally, I think anyone's chance of going blind in same conditions are greater than just the subjects of this study. Common sense folks...

[TexasTWylite]

Married white men driving in convertibles are also at higher risk of suffering from ADRS: Automotive Dad-Rock Syndrome, characterized by blasting Journey or Huey Lewis And The News at full volume from the convertible stereo for everyone else around to suffer.

[BLSCPTS]

In competition with the cars that go BOOM?<br /><br />My stereo is cranked pretty good on my Harley when I ride. The fairing knocks a lot of the wind off so I don't get much wind noise. But then I'd rather hear Journey or Huey Lewis as opposed to some of the 'music' that comes out of some of those cars. Heck most Rap I hear is louder than my stereo and my bike combined.

[Dr_Zinj]

I have tinnitus and a 38% hearing loss from an ear infection I suffered from as a child. <br /> <br />Deafness sucks.