posted
Yeah plug 'em up and try to have some fun. Maybe take a separate car or whatever so if it turns out to be too bad you can leave. Maybe you can tie a bandana/scarf around over your ears to keep the plugs in.
When I think of fireworks I worry more about people sitting in tick infested grass. Oy, lyme paranoia!
Posts: 702 | From North Eastern USA | Registered: Dec 2009
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richedie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14689
posted
I agree, I went to Miracle Ear and spent $75 to have ear plugs fitted and they come with different filters that cut various decibel levels. I always wear them at concerts or when I play music with my band.
quote:Originally posted by Geneal: Any loud noise can contribute to loss of hearing.
However, it is usually something loud sustained over a long period of time.
Like machinery or music.
I would wear ear plugs.
Get a good pair. They won't fall out as easily.
Hugs,
Geneal
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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dmc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5102
posted
keebler posted something earlier regarding this
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- When on antibiotics, the decibel level is MUCH lower at which permanent auditory damage can occur. Even from one blast.
=====================
dmc,
Thanks for posting that. I get noise damage just from a dental cleaning. Fireworks are a huge concern - for everyone's ears.
In addition to the noise factor, the smoke also has lots of chemicals and heavy metals in it.
Better to watch from a distance for many reasons. That can still be fun.
I don't think ANY ear plugs are good enough to be right at the main stage of any display. Sound also travels through the nasal passages, through all our bones. Just covering the ears - with both plugs AND dB-rated muffs - is essential but not nearly enough to protect them from fireworks explosions at close range.
Even one single bang that is too loud can permanently damage ears and, when on abx, the decibel level is MUCH lower at which permanent damage can occur.
If ears ring after exposure, damage occurred. There is no way to fix noise damage (except perhaps emergency care at that very time, and that may or may not work and often involves steroids).
Noise damage may not show up for a couple of years but then, it can progress rapidly. Tinnitus is one of the first signs of ear damage. Hyperacusis, too. Both of those are also exceedingly common with lyme.
And, remember, it's not just about hearing. Our ears affect nearly everything we do, even walking and talking. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
. . . "Fireworks can unleash a shower of toxins into soil and water, and scientists are only beginning to figure out what that means for human health," writes Russell McLendon on Mother Nature Network, an environmental website.
He cites studies showing perchlorate levels in nearby wells and waterways rose dramatically after a fireworks show.
He adds: . . . An effort to ban them in Hawaii cites their impact on human health and has the backing of the state's American Lung Association, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.
McLendon says the eco-friendliest alternative to fireworks is to avoid them completely and instead go fishing or camping.
He says other alternatives include laser light shows, which emit no dangerous chemicals, and Disneyland's use of compressed air to launch fireworks, which reduce particulates in the air and perchlorates in the water.
Why's he so concerned? Here are excerpts of his article:
In addition to gunpowder, fireworks are packed with heavy metals and other toxins that produce their sparkling shower of colors.
Like perchlorates, the exact effect of fireworks' heavy-metal fallout is still mainly a mystery, but scientists do know that the metals themselves can wreak havoc in the human body.
* Strontium (red): This soft, silvery-yellow metal turns red when it burns, is extremely reactive with both air and water, and can be radioactive. Some strontium compounds dissolve in water, and others move deep into soil and groundwater; radioactive strontium has a half-life of 29 years. While low levels of stable and radioactive strontium haven't been shown to affect human health, they both can be dangerous at high doses.
* Aluminum (white): Since aluminum is the most abundant metal in Earth's crust -- and one of humanity's most widely used -- avoiding exposure is almost impossible. Virtually all food, water, air and soil contain some amount of aluminum -- the average adult eats about 7 to 9 milligrams of the silvery-white metal every day in food. It's generally safe at these levels, but it can affect the brain and lungs at higher concentrations.
* Copper (blue): Fireworks' blue hues are produced by copper compounds. These aren't very toxic on their own, but the copper jump-starts the formation of dioxins when perchlorates in the fireworks burn....
The most noted health effect of dioxin exposure is chloracne, a severe skin disease with acne-like lesions mostly on the face and upper body. Dioxin doesn't stop there, though -- the World Health Organization has identified it as a human carcinogen, and it's also been shown to disrupt hormone production and glucose metabolism.
* Barium (green): Fish and other aquatic organisms can accumulate barium, which means it can move up the food chain. The silvery-white metal naturally bonds with other elements to form a variety of compounds that all have different effects -- none are known to be carcinogenic, but they can cause gastrointestinal problems and muscular weakness when exposure exceeds EPA drinking water standards.
* Rubidium (purple): This soft, silvery metal is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. It burns purple, melts to a liquid at 104 degrees Fahrenheit and is highly reactive with water, capable of igniting fires even far below the freezing point.
It hasn't been reported to cause any major environmental damage, but it can cause skin irritation since it's so reactive with moisture, and it's moderately toxic when ingested, reportedly able to replace calcium in bones (PDF).
* Cadmium (various): Used to produce a wide range of fireworks colors, this mineral is also a known human carcinogen. Breathing high levels of cadmium can seriously damage the lungs, and consuming it can fluster the stomach, often resulting in vomiting and diarrhea.
- (Standards Editor Brent Jones) -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i can't stand any loud noise and earplugs hurt my ears.
i can't even listen to people talking loudly in a restaurant anymore.
i am really sensitive.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- If one is swimming in any water (fresh or pool) for days (or longer?) after fireworks displays, all the added chemicals in the swimming water is also of concern.
Those who drink from wells, also need to take precautions but once the chemicals are in the water supply, there's not much that can really be done.
from article above: " . . . perchlorate levels in nearby wells and waterways rose dramatically after a fireworks show. " -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Bummer... they do that here too. We will be viewing the fireworks off the lake area and near the dam from another display. Sure hope it doesn't rain.... We're supposed to get some of that "moisture" from hurricane Alex.
Sorry you have to miss the fireworks! That stinks!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Just wear earplugs. You will be fine.
Posts: 339 | From Outer Space | Registered: Aug 2009
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
I always wear earplugs when I go to see fireworks. If you get a good pair of plugs..they will really help block out the noise.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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'Kete-tracker
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17189
posted
Hope you got to Watch some fireworks on your widescreen (?) TV! We heard mostly the [Boston Pops] orchestra here as the skys over Boston's waterfront lit up.
Great new displays... including bright "waterfalls" of color that just "hung" there.
Posts: 1233 | From Dover, NH | Registered: Sep 2008
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