Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Modified Experimental Conditions for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Mice and Assessment of Hearing Function and Outer Hair Cell Damage
Published on: February 10, 2023
Sports officials' hearing status: whistle use as a factor contributing to hearing trouble
Gregory A Flamme1, Nathan Williams
1Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. greg.flamme@wmich.edu
Abstract:
The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of hearing loss in a sample of sports officials and estimate the duration of whistle use required to reach a permissible 8-hr 100% noise dose. We conducted an online survey of 321 sports officials regarding their exposure to whistle noise and symptoms of hearing loss and tinnitus, and we assessed the acoustic characteristics of commercially available whistles. Male sports officials registered in Michigan had a greater prevalence of self-reported hearing trouble and tinnitus than observed in the general population of the midwestern United States. Sound levels produced by whistles range between 104 and 116 dBA, which corresponds to maximum unprotected exposure times of 90 to 5 sec, respectively. These findings suggest that whistle use may contribute to hearing loss among sports officials.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract IV: Auscultation
Breath Sounds
Breath sounds are categorized into vesicular, bronchovesicular, and bronchial.
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
Respiratory System Abnormal Finding II: Palpation and Auscultation
Palpation Findings
During a respiratory assessment, palpation can reveal several vital abnormalities:
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

