Re: Ear protection question
After loosing a noticeable percentage of my hearing one afternoon, I have had several long talks with the Medical Doctors at the University of Kansas Med School. These MD's included two Audiologists and one ENT Surgeon.
Important points that all three of them made or agreed to:
1. Hearing damage is permanent.
2. Hearing damage is irreversible.
3. Hearing damage is cumulative(it ALL adds up, shooting, saws, cars and concerts)
4. If you wear muffs and plugs, the NRR are not added together, but there is increased protection.
5. DO NOT IGNORE THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY NOISE TRANSMITTED FROM THE SKULL TO YOUR EAR.
I put the last one in caps. The warnings were quite clear, particularly regarding prolonged exposure to high intensity sound(gunfire). Take two products with equal NRR of say 21, one a muff and one a in the ear style. Hands down, the recommendation was the muffs, every time.
The only time I dont wear plugs AND muffs is when I hunt. I only wear one or the other then.