But there aren't any aircraft or trees in sight.

Instead, the two men -- London West MPP Chris Bentley and Controller Russ Monteith -- are experiencing what it's like to be partly deaf.

But that's just part of this demonstration, set up yesterday by the London regional office of the Canadian Hearing Society.

The second part of their task is to buy a digital camera at this Henry's store on Wellington Road South.

And clearly, that's not easy.

"You can always buy a second battery," says the clerk, turning to grab a package from the shelf behind her.

The two look perplexed. Because the clerk spoke while her back was turned, they didn't hear her.

Several other things also quickly become clear. The men, who have been temporarily rendered moderately deaf by the headgear, are talking loudly, staring intently and leaning toward the clerk trying to grasp what she's saying.

Under the rules of this exercise, the two men are limited to spending $700. And when the clerk reveals the price of the camera, the politicians eye each other with distrust.

"He's very liberal," says Monteith. "So he'll spend any amount."

Bentley winces.

"Lately, we've been giving it all to you," he quips. "Can I download this decision?"

Well, at least they haven't lost their sense of humour.

But the two main points of this bit of fun are serious: Losing your hearing will complicate your life more than you could possibly imagine, and much of that damage can be avoided.

"Until you have a hearing loss, you have no idea what the impact is," says Marilyn Reid, director of the London regional office of the Canadian Hearing Society. "And noise-related hearing loss is preventable."

According to the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), hearing loss is the fastest-growing disability in North America and almost one in four adult Canadians reports a hearing loss.

There are two main causes of this loss: Age and excessive noise.

"With the aging of the baby boom population, we're going to see an increase in people that have a hearing loss," says Reid. "As well, we live in an increasingly noisy world."

The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board describes noise-induced hearing loss as "epidemic." And as anyone knows who has been bombarded by the overwhelming volume of sound at a cinema -- particularly the commercials before the feature -- much of the damaging noise is "recreational."

Reid says solutions are simple: Avoid loud noise when possible by moving away from the source, turning down the volume or wearing earplugs.

And make your own thoughts heard -- loud and clear.

"Let the movie theatre know (about the excessive volume)," says Reid. "Because if nobody complains, they're going to leave it the way it is."

Experts agree that, over time, continued exposure to noise of 85 decibels or more will harm hearing. And according to the CHS, the average cinema blasts sound at 117 decibels. A power saw or leaf blower drones out 110 decibels, while a lawn mower cranks out 90.

Reid says the damage is cumulative. And invisible.

"That's a problem -- it doesn't hurt," she says. "So we don't realize we're harming our hearing."

These days, silence is not only golden -- it's disappearing.

"We're so used to multi-tasking and having so many things on the go, that we tend to think that loud is better," says Reid. "Well, loud isn't better."

By Ian Gillespie, London Free Press