War on Hearing - OPPOSITES ISSUE

Every clubber knows that ears are pretty central to clubbing. Every club knows it too; Optimo even have the slogan "we love your ears." Why then do they persist in beating them to death? And why do we let them? Ears often take a pounding, and it's most likely that if you're reading this right now, your ears take one regularly. It's a hazard that comes with a music-centric social life, it seems.

If you are in a pub, for example, you're being hit with, on average, 91db (decibels). Unprotected ears can expect to sustain permanent damage after about two hours at that level. Of course, if you make the move from the pub to the club for some awesome sounds, you can expect it to get louder. Often a lot louder. It may seem like the difference - usually an extra 14-15 decibels - isn't all that much. The thing is, a decibel is a measure of intensity. An increase of ten decibels equates to a tenfold increase in intensity, resulting in dramatically more damage.

At 106db, the average for clubland, you can expect to start sustaining permanent damage after just four minutes. At 103db, you have about seven minutes. If you drop the volume to 97, the average ear can deal with about half an hour of noise before tinnitus begins to set in. Tinnitus will be familiar to many of you; it's the curse of musicians and music lovers alike. It's that ringing in your ears you noticed the last time you went out dancing next to speaker stacks.

It usually subsides after a few days - that's not it getting better. That's you getting used to the new soundscape, the one that features a permanent ringing in your ears. While it can go away, prolonged exposure to high levels of noise will make it a permanent feature. It's not just the likes of Pete Townshend - famously super-loud in his youth - who are at risk. Barbara Streisand is a sufferer, as is Steve Martin.

As awareness is raised, more and more musicians are realising that they are borrowing hearing from their future. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, are firm supporters of hearing protection. M.I. Loki even works for Audio Relief, extolling the virtues of protection such as the ER20 - an earplug specifically designed for musicians - or it's big brother the custom fitted ER17. The work they do is helping. More people are thinking about their hearing and doing something about protecting it, and the technology is improving to help them do so. It's becoming more accepted that, along with MP3 players, clubs are the enemy of long-term hearing.

But while there are legal limits for people at work, there are fewer laws to protect the audience. Some rock concerts can go as high as 120db, louder than a jackhammer. If you use a jackhammer, you need to wear protection. If you stand next to one, there are no rules. The speakers in your favourite spot are the same.

It's an unregulated arms race. Ear protection is getting better, but so are speakers. Where a PA used to distort at dangerous levels, you can now get soundsystems that will strip away your hearing over the course of a night without so much as a sizzle or a growl. The tell-tale sounds of excessive volume just don't exist anymore in most well-fitted clubs. The hedonistic attitude that goes with most dance music doesn't leave room for clubs to turn it down. The law has little to say, but they also haven't been shy about imposing output limiters on clubs closer to residential areas.

The best option for the clubber who'd like to keep enjoying music forever is protection. Some tissue twisted up and stuck in your ear is probably better than nothing, but one audiologist laughed out loud when The Skinny suggested that as the budget option. The main thing to be aware of when buying ear plugs is what they're for. There are several kinds of ear protection, and some have a specific purpose. There are some cheap ones that muffle the sound, and some that intentionally protect you from the most damaging frequencies. If you don't want to alter the music in any way, though, you need flat response, or 'tuned acoustics'. These are ideal for musicians, specifically the ER20 plugs Audio Relief recommended. Until those techno-terrorists who hate our ears change their evil ways, we think it's the only way to fight back.