NOISE EXPOSURE OF SPECTATORS AT COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL GAMES

Abstract

It is well known that exposure to loud sounds over time can lead to permanent hearing loss. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces the regulations for noise exposure in the workplace. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), established at the same time as OSHA, conducts and funds research to make educated recommendations for employee daily noise exposure limits. However, no such regulations exist for recreational noise exposure. This study compares how OSHA and NIOSH guidelines each view the same dosimetry data recorded from from the student section of four collegiate basketball games at the University of Arizona to determine whether spectators are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. The results indicated that for men’s basketball games, when evaluating data using OSHA criteria the noise levels did not exceed daily permissible limits. However, these limits were exceeded according to NIOSH criteria. For women’s games, neither organization’s criteria were exceeded. For all the games, peak intensities approached 140 dBA SPL, the level at which instant damage to hearing can occur.