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Bam! Popular toys may leave kids' ears ringing
By Anita Clark
Lee Newspapers MADISON - Experts are warning that some toys in Santa's bag are so loud they may be dangerous to young ears.
Nine of 11 toys tested in one study emitted noise at a level above 100 decibels, which one group called "incredibly loud" and comparable to the sound of a chain saw.
"They're noisy enough that they can damage hearing," said Colleen Moore, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied the effects of noise on children.
The impact of noise depends on its loudness, duration and distance from the ear. While it's nearly impossible to link any specific sound to later hearing loss, parents should be aware of the problem and avoid the risk, experts say.
Toy manufacturers say warnings about loud toys are scare tactics that needlessly frighten families.
"There are no reported injuries from acoustic levels in toys," Shannon Eis, spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association, said Friday. "There's no data showing there's any reason to be concerned."
Informal conversations with shoppers in ShopKo at South Towne in Madison found no concerns about noisy toys, except as they might affect parental tolerance.
"Teenage music in a car or truck - that would be dangerous," said Sheila McNeal of Madison, who was shopping for grandchildren. She was striking keys on a keyboard to test quality, not loudness.
Musical toys were among those cited this month by the Sight and Hearing Association of St. Paul, Minn., in its sixth annual report on noisy playthings aimed at children 5 and younger.
"We want parents to be aware, to protect their children when they're young," said association spokeswoman Julee Sylvester. The group is not claiming any toy causes instantaneous hearing loss, she said, but that toy noise could add to the potential for trouble.
A similar report in November from the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group noted that children often play with a favorite toy for a long time and put toys to their ears.
A few toys have volume controls, but "there's not much guarantee you can keep it on low unless you can glue it or tape it," said Jennifer Giegerich, state director.
No Wisconsin consumers have complained about noisy toys, said Michelle Reinen, a product safety investigator for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Many customers and clerks at ShopKo said grandparents and friends - not parents - choose the shrieking firetrucks and booming drum sets.
"They bought my son a lot of noisy toys when he was little. It's payback," said Margaret Williams of Sun Prairie, who was shopping for an 11-year-old nephew. "The kids like the noise."
Yes, they do, and that's why so many toys make noise.
"Loud sound is added to the toy to make it seem more fun for the child," said Moore. She has written a book called "Silent Scourge: Children, Pollution and Why Scientists Disagree" that investigated the effect of pollutants, including noise, on children.
There's nothing wrong with noisy toys, she said, if they're not too loud.
But parents should know that some children are more sensitive to sensory stimulation - including noise - and loud toys can be psychologically disturbing for them.
Also, research has shown that children exposed to airport and highway noise have lower reading scores than children from quieter environments. Apparently, noise interferes with children hearing fine points of speech, like the difference between fear and tear, and connecting sounds to written letters, a key point in learning to read.
"All homes need to have at least some quiet time," Moore said.
Another UW-Madison professor pointed to the relationship between noise and children's ability to concentrate.
"It's highly likely that very loud sounds can be incredibly distracting," said Ruth Litovsky, an assistant professor of communicative disorders. Some children withdraw and don't pay attention in noisy environments.
People able to listen with both ears can hear in a noisy environment, she said, but that ability is less developed in children than in adults.
"Therefore, it's highly likely, I think, an adult may find it easy to hear in a noisy room but it might be harder for a child," she said.
Jennifer Jennings, an audiologist with Dean Medical Center, said it's just not worth the risk to subject young ears to loud noises that can be avoided. For her, that means no toys emitting sound louder than 90 decibels.
Do loud noises damage a child's hearing permanently? "That's really hard to say. That's really iffy," she said. "But why would you want to take a chance?"
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