Finally, a way to manage my hearing health!
Maximum pleasure, minimum risk...
Irrespective of our age, tastes or lifestyle, music is one of life's great pleasures.
Prolonged exposure to loud sound levels can however cause serious hearing damage (premature deafness, tinnitus, hyperacousia…) and lead to a severe and often irreversible handicap (physiological and psychological troubles, difficulty or even impossibility to communicate with relatives or at school, at work…).
Being fully informed and managing noise exposure means we can maximize the pleasure music brings us while minimizing the risk.
The problem is very simple: risk = sound level x exposure duration
The real danger lies in the combined effect of sound level and exposure duration.
Avoiding exposure accumulation and respecting an adequate recovery time allows inner ear hair cells to remain fully operational, or at least to limit possible previous damage.
An app designed to inform and therefore help make informed choices
EarFox app provides objective guidelines that take into account various noisy or loud situations (personal music player, concert, disco, noisy area or workplace…), and calculates the recommended listening and recovery times needed to prevent premature hearing damage.
Music, sound and partying have a crucial place in your life. Make it last as long as possible without ruining your social and professional life!
Your children are heavily exposed when using mp3 players and of course you want them to keep their full hearing and cognitive abilities. Help them learn to manage sound levels and exposure duration!
Your hearing is your working tool. You need to manage a lot of exposure situations, sometimes with several different employers. Take control of the situation!
You are responsible for the health and security of the public. Offer them a genuine tool for their health and happiness and their lasting development: their hearing!
Start the app before listening to the iPod, or when entering a music venue or a noisy area
IPod : The slide will match with the headphone volume
Music venues : Using your finger, move the slide on the screen to match with the sound level displayed in the venue (see Advice)
The popup indicates the time remaining before exceeding the advised weekly dose
A mini-tuto available here will help you to easily understand the app's functionalities (don't forget to like the page and to inform your friends!)
Go to Preferences
Press here if you’re wearing earplugs
Select context of use
(pro version)
Go to the iPod’s main functionalities
Full functionalities are available through the multitask mode (double-click on the home button). Be careful: the exposure is only taken into account when returning to EarFox using the same method (or by staying on the iPod’s mini-dock)
In order to effectively limit the risk of hearing damage, the exposure value (bubble on the slide / white line of the graphic) must stay inside the green or orange zone
During the recovery time, avoid loud sound levels (maxi 87dB = headphone mark 10 or 11) or wear earplugs if you can’t control the sound volume (in a venue for example)
Many preference settings then allow the user to fine-tune the exposure calculation (headphone type and fit, iPod imitation...) and to classify exposure by type or by employer if needed (pro version)
Turn the iPhone/iPod to display graphics
Advices
In order to assess ambient sound level in a music venue or a noisy area, do not use apps that use the iPhone/iPod microphone which is unable to assess loud sound levels. Instead you should refer to the average sound level that most venues and discos are legally obliged to measure and display
Otherwise, you can use marks on the screen by simply evaluating how easy it is to chat with someone at 2 meters:
easy
medium
difficult
You can also encourage owners of music venues where you hang out to install an EarFoxWiFi system which will automatically transmit your exact exposure value to your iPhone/iPod
WARNING
EarFox app is an educational tool for hearing risk prevention based on a statistical frame of reference that is unable by definition to protect from all risks and in no way involves the responsibility of the editor or mentioned authors
In case of any abnormal symptom (pain, tinnitus, buzzing, plugged ear...) that does not spontaneously disappear 24h after exposure:
See an Otolaryngologist / ENT Doctor urgently!
(or 24h/24h trauma center)
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Legal Notices
EarFox app is an educational tool for hearing risk prevention based on a statistical frame of reference that is unable by definition to protect from all risks and in no way involves the responsibility of the editor, developer or cited authors
Used references:
- “Minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers
to the risks arising from physical agents (noise)” (Directive 2003/10/EC)
- “Potential health risks of exposure to noise from personal music players
and mobile phones including a music playing function” (Scenihr/2008)
- “Playback levels from portable audio players” (Keith, Michaud & Chiu/2008)
- “Sound Output Levels of the iPod and Other MP3 Players :
Is There Potential Risk to Hearing?” (Portnuff & Fligor/2006)
We are open to any constructive criticism that would allow us to improve and adapt this app, particularly any medical or regulatory input. We are also open to educational and commercial partnerships in the field of hearing risk prevention.
EarFox App is edited by DEVINANT R&D
Concept, brand, logo and design registered by Frédéric DEVINANT / DEVINANT R&D
Logo : Leena HEDMAN
Character : Clément JUNG
App Development : BSOFT.FR
More
Click on the country of your choice to find out its hearing risk prevention regulations and recommendations. (Please send us any relevant information about countries and territories not yet covered):
More information about hearing and ear physiology with:
More information about ear protectors with:
Earfox is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Contact
(posters, brochures, earplugs, EarFoxWifi...)? Yes No
Free JPEG posters can be downloaded here
Sound exposure management Application for iPhone/iPod