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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!wjh12!talcott!harvard!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.med,net.legal
Subject: Bell-ringing and hearing loss
Message-ID: <6621@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 12:38:50 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.6621
Posted: Mon Dec 17 12:38:50 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Dec-84 07:08:15 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA
Lines: 21
Xref: watmath net.med:1160 net.legal:1126

The recent discussion of the use of fake paper bells in shopping malls
(on net.legal) inspires this query:

We hear a lot about the hearing loss caused by loud rock music and
by gunshots. I find the sound of those hand-bells clapped so energetically
by the Christmas-time solicitors to also be quite loud. It bothers my
ears when I merely pass them by on the street. I would think that the
hearing of the bell-ringers themselves would be severely damaged by only
a day of such exposure, not to mention the three-week or longer period
they seem to indulge in this masochistic behavior.

Has there been any medical literature or court cases related to this?
I would expect that someone who volunteered to collect money for some
organization and then found their hearing permanently damaged as a
result would have taken the group(s) to court over this. Do the
organizations give any warning re hearing protection, issue earplugs
or muffs, or otherwise take this factor into account?

Will Martin

USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA