Scroggins, who had to cope with factory noise for 21 years while working at the Manitowoc Company, co-owns DJ Magic, a local disc jockey service, with his wife Linda.

He said listening to dangerously loud noise is so common, especially among young people, that many don't realize its effects on their hearing until it's too late.

"The younger they are, the worse it is," he said.

Of the 28 million Americans who have a hearing impairment, about one-third were caused by noise-induced hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders. Those with noise-induced hearing loss lack the ability to hear subtle, higher-frequency sounds.

In years past, noise-induced hearing loss was a condition confined to rock'n'rollers, but with today's powerful stereo systems and iPods, more people are losing their hearing — and at younger ages.

Two students at the UW-Manitowoc annex, a game room with ping-pong table and sound system, said they've heard warnings from parents that listening to loud music will cause hearing loss. They said they would rather listen to the music anyway.

"I listen to rap and rock at home or in the car. My parents tell me to turn it down about five times a night. They don't care for the music, they want to watch what's on television," said Brandon Haupt, 20, Manitowoc.

Haupt said he agrees that someone could become deaf from listening to loud music, but he said he doesn't think he listens to it loud enough to lose his hearing.

Meanwhile, Paul Fencl, 19, listens to loud alternative rock on his MP3 player, despite his parents' warnings that it will cause hearing loss.

"Maybe when I'm deaf I'll turn it down, but then again I might turn it louder," he said.

After attending a concert in Milwaukee, Fencl, of Two Rivers, said he didn't get his hearing back until 6 p.m. the next day.

"I probably should have brought hearing aids," he said. "I don't think I'll bring them to the next concert — it would be weird."

A nonchalant attitude about loud music concerns some Lakeshore residents who have dealt with the dangers of loud noise all their lives.

"I just fitted a 30-year-old with hearing aids," said Jan Frank, a state-licensed hearing instrument specialist who has worked at Abundant Life Hearing and Health for seven years.

She said she used to consult 50- and 60-year-olds on hearing loss, but now more of her customers are between 25 and 35 — and they say listening to loud music caused their hearing loss.

"Too much noise continues to create hearing loss and deteriorates ear nerve cells. The damage accumulates and it only gets worse," she said. "Even if you have lost some of your hearing and have to turn it up, it's still reaching those nerve cells."

iPod pounding?

Frank said iPod users often have the urge to turn the sound up to 100 decibels to feel the "boom effect" in the music, when they should have the volume around 85 decibels. IPods often feature "ear buds" or "ear pods" that are placed in the ear, instead of traditional headphones.

"People should be careful because those ear pods are only a quarter inch from your ear drum," she said. "If you can't tell what's going on in your environment, it's too loud."

It's common sense to turn the noise down, but younger musicians don't heed the advice, said Mary Schuler, co-owner of Golden Ring Music & Folklore Center, Manitowoc.

Amplifiers often are equipped with headphone jacks to reduce noise around other people, and musicians often use the jacks to play it loud to themselves, she said.

The late Jim "Bruiser" Krueger, a Manitowoc native who played in the Dave Mason Band, suffered chronic "white noise" all of his adult life, Schuler said. White noise is a random noise signal that can linger in the listener's ear with the same level of sound energy at all frequencies.

"Some customers buy earplugs, but usually only after experiencing a loud white noise," she said.

Musicians should wear earplugs when they practice to filter, not eliminate the sound, she advised.

Scroggins purchased a pair of custom molded earplugs that screw into his ear cavity, cutting sound down to 15 decibels. He uses the plugs during sound checks at concerts.

He said most people don't notice a need to reduce the effects of loud noise until they feel pain. As a full-time wedding DJ, Scroggins said some other DJs are so accustomed to loud music that it becomes a detriment to their business.

"Nine out of 10 weddings are too noisy," he said. "It's unfortunate when somebody pays $2,000 for music and it's too loud."

Frank said her head is constantly vibrating from drivers who blast music from subwoofers at the stoplight across from her office on Washington Street.

"It's a noise-polluted society," she said. "In the early days people only listened to loud noises occasionally. Now, it's everywhere."

By Kristopher Wenn
http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060130/MAN0101/601300439/1358