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Infections of the Heart,Vertigo,meningitis, ulcers, carbuncles and boils. Want all these and more? Simply misuse the most basic bits of issued kit and they are all yours.
The controversy surrounding the army deafness saga is well documented, and to some in the media and elsewhere, became the joke that the members of the defence forces were subjected to.
Since then a strict policy of hearing protection has been enforced, with all members issued with what was in the past known as double hearing protection, consisting of inner ear plugs or inserts, and outer Peltor Ear muffs. The soldier, airman or seaman can take no practice involving the firing of weapons, unless adequate hearing protection is worn..And for that we are very grateful.
However there are risks associated with the wearing of the inserts or ear plugs which I was unaware of until I read it in a monthly Motorcyclists magazine Ride which has become the benchmark for the proper testing of motorcyclists equipment. As Motorcyclists are also subjected to potentially damaging wind noise levels (over 85dB) they are encouraged to wear earplugs. What you do with the earplugs when not in use can have serious effects on your health and not just your hearing!
David Batchelor RIDE Magazine
The controversy surrounding the army deafness saga is well documented, and to some in the media and elsewhere, became the joke that the members of the defence forces were subjected to.
Since then a strict policy of hearing protection has been enforced, with all members issued with what was in the past known as double hearing protection, consisting of inner ear plugs or inserts, and outer Peltor Ear muffs. The soldier, airman or seaman can take no practice involving the firing of weapons, unless adequate hearing protection is worn..And for that we are very grateful.
However there are risks associated with the wearing of the inserts or ear plugs which I was unaware of until I read it in a monthly Motorcyclists magazine Ride which has become the benchmark for the proper testing of motorcyclists equipment. As Motorcyclists are also subjected to potentially damaging wind noise levels (over 85dB) they are encouraged to wear earplugs. What you do with the earplugs when not in use can have serious effects on your health and not just your hearing!
If you saw your pet chewing on an earplug, would you really feel like putting said plug in your ear again?
Thought not. However RIDE’s discovered that a common riding practice is far more hazardous to our health than Rovers slobbering chops.
But how long should we use each pair and what, more importantly, is cadging a lift on your plug each time we insert it into your lughole? Ride contacted the experts to find out. Dr Trevor Cartledge is in charge of the microbiology department at the school of Science, Nottingham-Trent University. We sent him a sample of 5 earplugs to test.
Sample one was a fresh packet. Sample two had been worn for one days riding, but in between uses the plugs had been slotted into the top vents of the testers lid.
Sample three had been worn for two weeks for eight hours a night, with the plugs returned to a plastic container after use. Ditto sample four though the period of use was four weeks.
Sample five was new, unused, earplug that had been used as a plaything variously by Geoff the cat and Leo the dog for several days.
Each sample was swilled in distilled sterile water and then drops from each solution added to petri dishes of agar, a sugary and bacteria friendly jelly, and incubated for two to four days. They were all then tested for bacteria and fungal growth.
The results
They’re stark, though somewhat surprising. The plugs that were stuffed in the helmet's vents produced more than 11 times as much bacteria than those played with by the pets.
Dr Cartledge found 3 main bacterial forms grew from the plugs.
The predominant colony was staphylococcus epidermis. This is common on the skin around the ears, nose and mouth where it lives happily. However it can cause some unpleasant infections if the skin is broken.
Also found in large numbers were micrococcus luteus; a relatively benign bacteria commonly found on the skin.
Not quite so chummy was the presence of staphylococcus aureus. This little charmer causes everything from boils and ear infections like the vertigo inducing [i]Labyrinthitis,[I], to blood poisoning,serious heart problems and meningitis.
The control plugs came up clear.
Conclusion
Rather than frightening you off using earplugs we’d just recommend you use them properly. We spoke to Mike Denton at Aearo the world’s biggest manufacturers of earplugs, for advice. He said: ”Most earplugs can be washed in soapy water and allowed to dry before re use. We’d recommend you always keep your earplugs in a closed container between uses – and definitely don’t use your Helmet as a substitute.”
“You should wash the plugs periodically, drying them overnight. If you are using them daily, replace them after two to three weeks. Replace or clean the container when starting with new plugs.”
“And you should never wet the earplugs before inserting them” adds Dr Cartledge.”The perfect environment for bacterial and fungal growth is somewhere warm and damp- don’t let your ears be their breeding ground”
Thought not. However RIDE’s discovered that a common riding practice is far more hazardous to our health than Rovers slobbering chops.
But how long should we use each pair and what, more importantly, is cadging a lift on your plug each time we insert it into your lughole? Ride contacted the experts to find out. Dr Trevor Cartledge is in charge of the microbiology department at the school of Science, Nottingham-Trent University. We sent him a sample of 5 earplugs to test.
Sample one was a fresh packet. Sample two had been worn for one days riding, but in between uses the plugs had been slotted into the top vents of the testers lid.
Sample three had been worn for two weeks for eight hours a night, with the plugs returned to a plastic container after use. Ditto sample four though the period of use was four weeks.
Sample five was new, unused, earplug that had been used as a plaything variously by Geoff the cat and Leo the dog for several days.
Each sample was swilled in distilled sterile water and then drops from each solution added to petri dishes of agar, a sugary and bacteria friendly jelly, and incubated for two to four days. They were all then tested for bacteria and fungal growth.
The results
They’re stark, though somewhat surprising. The plugs that were stuffed in the helmet's vents produced more than 11 times as much bacteria than those played with by the pets.
Dr Cartledge found 3 main bacterial forms grew from the plugs.
The predominant colony was staphylococcus epidermis. This is common on the skin around the ears, nose and mouth where it lives happily. However it can cause some unpleasant infections if the skin is broken.
Also found in large numbers were micrococcus luteus; a relatively benign bacteria commonly found on the skin.
Not quite so chummy was the presence of staphylococcus aureus. This little charmer causes everything from boils and ear infections like the vertigo inducing [i]Labyrinthitis,[I], to blood poisoning,serious heart problems and meningitis.
The control plugs came up clear.
Conclusion
Rather than frightening you off using earplugs we’d just recommend you use them properly. We spoke to Mike Denton at Aearo the world’s biggest manufacturers of earplugs, for advice. He said: ”Most earplugs can be washed in soapy water and allowed to dry before re use. We’d recommend you always keep your earplugs in a closed container between uses – and definitely don’t use your Helmet as a substitute.”
“You should wash the plugs periodically, drying them overnight. If you are using them daily, replace them after two to three weeks. Replace or clean the container when starting with new plugs.”
“And you should never wet the earplugs before inserting them” adds Dr Cartledge.”The perfect environment for bacterial and fungal growth is somewhere warm and damp- don’t let your ears be their breeding ground”
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