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| Home Front: WoT |
| Rising number of troops losing hearing |
| 2008-03-09 |
| The nature of battle in current war zones has put 128,000 on ear-related disability SAN DIEGO - Soldiers and Marines caught amid roadside bombings and firefights in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home in epidemic numbers with permanent hearing loss and ringing in their ears, prompting the military to redouble its efforts to protect the troops from noise. Hearing damage is the No. 1 disability in the war on terrorism, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and some experts say the true toll could take decades to become clear. Nearly 70,000 of the more than 1.3 million troops who have served in the two war zones are collecting disability for tinnitus, a potentially debilitating ringing in the ears, and more than 58,000 are on disability for hearing loss. "The numbers are staggering," said Theresa Schulz, a former audiologist with the Air Force and past president of the National Hearing Conservation Association. One major explanation given is the insurgency's use of powerful roadside bombs. Their blasts cause violent changes in air pressure that can rupture the eardrum and break bones inside the ear. Also, much of the fighting consists of ambushes, bombings and firefights, which come suddenly and unexpectedly, giving soldiers no time to use their military-issued hearing protection. "They can't say, 'Wait a minute, let me put my earplugs in,'" said Dr. Michael Hoffer, a Navy captain and one of the country's leading inner-ear specialists. "They are in the fight of their lives." Some servicemen on patrol refuse to wear earplugs for fear of dulling their senses and missing sounds that can make the difference between life and death, Hoffer and others said. Hearing damage has been a battlefield risk since the introduction of explosives and artillery, and the U.S. military recognized it in Iraq and Afghanistan and issued earplugs early on. But the sheer number of injuries and their nature came as a surprise to military medical specialists and outside experts. Sixty percent of U.S. personnel exposed to blasts sustain permanent hearing loss, and 49 percent also suffer from tinnitus, according to military audiology reports. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #10 REDDIT > KBR/HALLIBURTON WATER MAKING SOLDIERS IN IRAQ SICK. DICK CHENEY to also become [anti] "CHLORINE" DICK??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-03-09 19:36 |
| #9 My tinnitus is persistent, high-pitched, and LOUD. It does affect my hearing, but so does the hyperacusis that goes with it. Part of mine was brought on by loud noises, and an even larger part by being around very noisy computer equipment, other electronic equipment, and air conditioning. I also have a "significant" upper and lower frequency hearing loss. You learn to live with tinnitus, but you never learn to be comfortable with it. I feel for these young guys - mine didn't start until I was in my early 40's. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-03-09 17:38 |
| #8 Rising number of troops losing hearing #7 WHAT? Posted by: SteveS My hearing is surprisingly good BUT I too am forced to use the woid, 'WHAT' very often because I habitually met folks who whisper and mumble. |
| Posted by: RD 2008-03-09 16:49 |
| #7 WHAT? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-03-09 14:35 |
| #6 kinda wonder what's doing more damage - the weapons/explosions, or the ever present iPod earbuds... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-03-09 13:10 |
| #5 Incoming does not generally wait until you get your hearing protection in. I've had some hearing loss and tinnitus as well, typical of nearly every veteran. Mine's mainly in my right ear (right handed, so thats where the weapon usually goes). I guess this is the press being "amazed and alarmed" without knowing the context, since few if any of them served. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-03-09 12:52 |
| #4 JUST PLAY IT LOUD! Good line. My hearing seems to be largely intact, with some bouts of "did you say something?" What? This is nothing new, and I suspect it has 'risen to the surface' because of fewer other things to talk about. That said, it would be nice to have a solution. For now, just gotta deal with it. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2008-03-09 07:09 |
| #3 As someone who has served in the music industry: I really feel bad for these men and women in uniform. I have taken extreme measures (including 1000s of dollars) to make sure that my hearing was 'up to snuff' And after 17 years as a audio engineer, I had an advanced test of my hearing. The doctors said it was 'mystic'. I hope that the DVA is going to help these men and women. |
| Posted by: Free Radical 2008-03-09 06:46 |
| #2 Tinnitus sucks. It comes and goes with me. Used to drive me nuts, but one has to live with it. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-03-09 03:02 |
| #1 The only ones surprised at this is youngsters and old folks with poor memory. Any grunt, artilleryman, track vehicle driver or aircraft maintenance troop (WW I on) could have told them this if they had asked. My tinnitus started soon after I serviced an RF-4C in full MOP gear (hard to put in ear plugs when wearing a gas mask w/ hood). |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-03-09 01:07 |