Lollapalooza bound? Hearing specialist says don’t forget earplugs

Lollapalooza veteran Dr. Sreek Cherukuri knows how to enjoy the Chicago music fest. He knows the importance of staying hydrated and wearing comfortable shoes. He also knows the importance of protecting his hearing. He learned the hard way.

An ear, nose and throat specialist with offices in St. Charles, Carol Stream, Elgin and Deer Park among other suburbs, Cherukuri has permanent hearing loss in his left ear, resulting from his stint as a DJ.

These days, the music aficionado wears custom-molded ear plugs, which he says reduce the volume “across all frequencies equally.”

He says earplugs purchased over the counter are also effective, reducing sound to about 32 dBs depending on whether they’re made of silicone or foam. That’s a necessity at Lollapalooza-style concerts where decibel levels can reach 110 to 115, Cherukuri said.

At those levels, permanent damage can occur after only 15 minutes, he said.

By way of comparison, 20 dBs equates to a ticking watch or rustling leaves; conversation is about 60 dBs; factory noise is about 80-85 dBs; while a motorcycle rider experiences 90-100 dBs. Decibel levels can reach 120-130 at steel mills or airport runways and fireworks and gunshots have dBs of 140, he said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement a hearing conservation program when employees are exposed to 85 dBs or above for more than eight hours.

Cherukuri says a person can tolerate that level safely without protection for eight hours. However, as the level rises, the number of hours a person can safely tolerate it decreases. For example, someone can withstand 95 dBs for four hours, 100 dBs for two hours and 110 dBs for about 30 minutes, Cherukuri said.

In addition to earplugs, he recommends steering clear of the stage and speakers.

“Listen to your body,” he said. “If you feel your hearing is muffled or if you hear ringing, you have to get out of there or you’re putting yourself in harm’s way.”

Some concertgoers experience what Cherukuri described as a “temporary threshold shift,” which manifests as a muffled sound or ringing in the ears and typically fades within a day or so. If it doesn’t, he recommends seeing an ENT right away.

Fortunately, not all hearing loss is permanent. Diminished hearing that results from an infection, fluid in the ears, ear wax buildup or certain genetic conditions can be treated and reversed, he said. But that’s not the case for noise-induced or age-related hearing loss, which he said “can’t be reversed, but can be treated.”

The typical treatment is hearing aids, but they can be expensive and are not covered by all insurance providers. Moreover, they’re not widely used, especially by those with age-related hearing loss. According to Cherukuri, only about 25% of people who would benefit from hearing aids, actually use them.

Besides diminishing their quality of life, people with untreated hearing loss have “a higher risk of dementia, depression and social isolation,” Cherukuri said.

There are several explanations, he explained, “It could be denial. It could be the stigma that they make a person look old. It could be that they’re expensive.”

Additionally, hearing aids don’t work for every patient, he says. Some people don’t like the sound quality. Others experience a distracting echo.

For such patients, Cherukuri developed ClearCast, an FDA-registered conversation amplifying earphone described on the clearcasthearing.com website as a “personal assistive listening device” or PAL.

Cherukuri calls them “reading glasses for your ears.”

According to the website, “PAL makes it simple to understand conversations at home or on the television by directly routing the conversations you want to hear so it sounds like someone is speaking directly into your ear.”

Still, preventing hearing loss is the goal of specialists like Cherukuri, who urges people attending Lollapalooza or other noisy events take to simple, inexpensive steps to preserve theirs.

“Be cognizant of the fact that noise-induced hearing loss can be permanent and instantaneous,” he said. “At fireworks, concerts and in the workplace be aware and wear protection.”

Lollapalooza takes place in Chicago’s Grant Park. The main entrance is at Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive and the north entrance is at Monroe Street and Columbus Drive. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 4. See lollapalooza.com.