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While many people associate rural living with quiet, peaceful locations, Leon Vaske knows farms can be loud working environments that put hearing at risk.
"It's not an easy job — farming. You can't get away from the noise," the retired Delaware County farmer says.
Vaske is living proof. He wears hearing aids in both ears — a result of the toll taken by more than 40 years of farming and an injury from his youth.
"Noise-induced hearing loss doesn't happen all of the sudden. It's a gradual thing accumulating over the years," said Kelley Donham, director for the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) at the University of Iowa.
Although he has moved to town, Vaske still feeds the cattle and helps manage the family farm north of Manchester. His son, Daryl, has taken over the beef cattle and crop operation.
Daily farm noises, loud machinery and squealing hogs can add up to irreversible hearing damage for farm workers, young and old.
Vaske thinks young farmers are being smarter about using protection, and machinery isn't as loud as it was in the past. He recommends tractors with cabs.
"They didn't have those when I farmed," he says.
Still, I-CASH's Certified Safe Farm study on Iowa farmers revealed 22 percent reported hearing loss. Another recent study, where audiometry tests were conducted on New York dairy farmers' hearing, found 47 percent had hearing loss.
"Hearing loss is a normal part of the aging process, but you can see a typical pattern in noise-induced hearing loss on a hearing test," Donham says.
There are a few ways to distinguish noise-induced hearing damage:
- When it is hard to hear another person where there is background noise, such as a busy restaurant; and
- Constant ringing in the ears.
In farmers, the left ear often shows more hearing damage. Doctors are still not certain why that is.
"One of our hypotheses, at least in right-handed farmers, is that they look over their right shoulder, turning their left ear to the noise of the tractor engine," Donham said.
Farmers with hearing loss also find it is hard to hear noises in the upper registers, such as women's or children's voices.
"They don't recognize the damage until they don't understand their wife or kids any more and by then it is too late," Donham said.
"That is something they may not realize, hearing never gets better it only gets worse."
Noise-induced hearing loss may be irreversible, but at any stage, farmers can make changes to protect what is left of their hearing. Donham said there are four steps farmers can take to protect their hearing:
First, avoid loud noises.
Sound is measured in decibels. Anything higher than 85 decibels is considered hazardous to hearing.
Farmers are surrounded by sounds that are beyond the 85-decibel range. A tractor's noise level ranges from 74-112 decibels; a combine ranges from 80-115; and hogs, particularly sows in gestation, range from 85-115 decibels.
"As someone born and raised and still involved on the farm, I have experienced hearing loss due to some of these kinds of exposures," Donham said.
Farmers can avoid these noises by updating equipment, such as a new muffler for a tractor
Or, look into the engineering involved in routine operations. There might be a way to design a feeder so the farmer doesn't have to be in the noisy hog building during feeding.
Secondly, Donham suggests reducing exposure to dangerous noise levels.
"Hearing damage is related to two things — the level of noise and the amount of time exposed. If you can't cut down on the level of noise then you must be careful of the amount of time exposed," he said.
The higher the decibel level, the shorter the exposure time before damage can occur.
At 90 decibels, damage can occur in less than eight hours. At 100 decibels, damage is likely after two hours. Every five-decibel increase cuts the exposure time in half.
Third Donham suggests getting a hearing test.
There are 22 clinics statewide in the AgriSafe Network, an organization that provides farmers with occupational health services. All of the clinics perform hearing tests and help with protective-gear fittings.
It is also a good idea to have hearing rechecked.
"It's important to know if the hearing loss has increased, or to see if they're doing the right things to keep their hearing protected," he said.
The clinics also provide protective devices designed for farmers, and give directions on how to use them.
Donham said one hurdle for farmers wanting to protect their hearing is finding good protective devices, such as ear muffs or plugs.
Donham's final advice for farmers is to change their habits. That means remembering to take protective devices with them or making sure there are extras in the tractor or work shed.
"I don't think it is part of our culture yet," Donham said. "It all has to do with creating new habits and making hearing protection convenient."
Farmers such as Vaske, who have hearing damage, are particularly encouraged to change old habits, so the damage doesn't worsen.
Because Vaske is still helping to farm and in noisy situations, he tries to use protection, he says.
He prefers ear muffs over the plugs because they fit over his hearing aids. But, using protection is difficult to remember, Vaske concedes.
"It's hard because you have lots of things to do, and sometimes you're too busy to remember. It's not like you have just one job to do," he says.
From Iowa Farmer
"It's not an easy job — farming. You can't get away from the noise," the retired Delaware County farmer says.
Vaske is living proof. He wears hearing aids in both ears — a result of the toll taken by more than 40 years of farming and an injury from his youth.
"Noise-induced hearing loss doesn't happen all of the sudden. It's a gradual thing accumulating over the years," said Kelley Donham, director for the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) at the University of Iowa.
Although he has moved to town, Vaske still feeds the cattle and helps manage the family farm north of Manchester. His son, Daryl, has taken over the beef cattle and crop operation.
Daily farm noises, loud machinery and squealing hogs can add up to irreversible hearing damage for farm workers, young and old.
Vaske thinks young farmers are being smarter about using protection, and machinery isn't as loud as it was in the past. He recommends tractors with cabs.
"They didn't have those when I farmed," he says.
Still, I-CASH's Certified Safe Farm study on Iowa farmers revealed 22 percent reported hearing loss. Another recent study, where audiometry tests were conducted on New York dairy farmers' hearing, found 47 percent had hearing loss.
"Hearing loss is a normal part of the aging process, but you can see a typical pattern in noise-induced hearing loss on a hearing test," Donham says.
There are a few ways to distinguish noise-induced hearing damage:
- When it is hard to hear another person where there is background noise, such as a busy restaurant; and
- Constant ringing in the ears.
In farmers, the left ear often shows more hearing damage. Doctors are still not certain why that is.
"One of our hypotheses, at least in right-handed farmers, is that they look over their right shoulder, turning their left ear to the noise of the tractor engine," Donham said.
Farmers with hearing loss also find it is hard to hear noises in the upper registers, such as women's or children's voices.
"They don't recognize the damage until they don't understand their wife or kids any more and by then it is too late," Donham said.
"That is something they may not realize, hearing never gets better it only gets worse."
Noise-induced hearing loss may be irreversible, but at any stage, farmers can make changes to protect what is left of their hearing. Donham said there are four steps farmers can take to protect their hearing:
First, avoid loud noises.
Sound is measured in decibels. Anything higher than 85 decibels is considered hazardous to hearing.
Farmers are surrounded by sounds that are beyond the 85-decibel range. A tractor's noise level ranges from 74-112 decibels; a combine ranges from 80-115; and hogs, particularly sows in gestation, range from 85-115 decibels.
"As someone born and raised and still involved on the farm, I have experienced hearing loss due to some of these kinds of exposures," Donham said.
Farmers can avoid these noises by updating equipment, such as a new muffler for a tractor
Or, look into the engineering involved in routine operations. There might be a way to design a feeder so the farmer doesn't have to be in the noisy hog building during feeding.
Secondly, Donham suggests reducing exposure to dangerous noise levels.
"Hearing damage is related to two things — the level of noise and the amount of time exposed. If you can't cut down on the level of noise then you must be careful of the amount of time exposed," he said.
The higher the decibel level, the shorter the exposure time before damage can occur.
At 90 decibels, damage can occur in less than eight hours. At 100 decibels, damage is likely after two hours. Every five-decibel increase cuts the exposure time in half.
Third Donham suggests getting a hearing test.
There are 22 clinics statewide in the AgriSafe Network, an organization that provides farmers with occupational health services. All of the clinics perform hearing tests and help with protective-gear fittings.
It is also a good idea to have hearing rechecked.
"It's important to know if the hearing loss has increased, or to see if they're doing the right things to keep their hearing protected," he said.
The clinics also provide protective devices designed for farmers, and give directions on how to use them.
Donham said one hurdle for farmers wanting to protect their hearing is finding good protective devices, such as ear muffs or plugs.
Donham's final advice for farmers is to change their habits. That means remembering to take protective devices with them or making sure there are extras in the tractor or work shed.
"I don't think it is part of our culture yet," Donham said. "It all has to do with creating new habits and making hearing protection convenient."
Farmers such as Vaske, who have hearing damage, are particularly encouraged to change old habits, so the damage doesn't worsen.
Because Vaske is still helping to farm and in noisy situations, he tries to use protection, he says.
He prefers ear muffs over the plugs because they fit over his hearing aids. But, using protection is difficult to remember, Vaske concedes.
"It's hard because you have lots of things to do, and sometimes you're too busy to remember. It's not like you have just one job to do," he says.
From Iowa Farmer
