Check these toys off your list
SHA releases annual Noisy Toys List

It’s obvious why you wouldn’t let your 4-year-old play with a chainsaw, but what about a toy that’s as loud as one?

The Sight & Hearing Association, in its annual trek down the toy aisle to test sound levels for its Noisy Toys Study, found 15 toys that create racket equivalent to a chainsaw in the ear canal.

The toy topping this year’s Noisy Toys List is the Iron Man Mobile Headquarters Vehicle, which blasts out at 119.5 decibels (dBA) directly at the speaker of the toy. This truck is recommended for ages four and older. Second on the list at 113.9 dB(A) is the Fisher Price Learning Letters Mailbox, a toy recommended for toddlers 6 months to 3 years. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, it would take less than a minute of exposure time at this level to risk damage to your hearing.

Every year, just before the busiest toy-shopping season, the Sight & Hearing Association tests a variety of toys — taken right off local toy store shelves — for potentially dangerous noise levels. This year, 15 of 19 toys tested by SHA and researchers at the University of Minnesota sounded off over 100 dB at the receiver.

A book — Sesame Street Help Along Sing a Song — meant for an 18-month-old, ranked third at 112.1 dB(A). And not surprisingly, the Black & Decker Junior Chainsaw roared in to fourth place at 111.4 dB.

So, how loud is too loud? Sounds that are 85 dB or louder can permanently damage hearing. The louder the sound, the less time it takes to cause damage. For example, a sound at 85 dB may take as long as eight hours to cause permanent damage, while a sound at 100 dB can start damaging hair cells after only 15 minutes of exposure. According to NIOSH, part of the Centers for Disease Control, the permissible exposure time (the amount of time you should listen) is cut in half with every three decibels over 85 dB.

For the past 12 years, SHA has studied the noise levels of toys, testing them at distances simulating how a child might hold the toy — directly near the ear (0 inches) and at arm’s length (10 inches).

Chris Hilton, M.D., of the University of Minnesota’s department of otolaryngology, tested the toys in a sound-proof acoustic chamber. “Prolonged exposure to some of these toys, at a very close range, could be damaging to the inner ear function.”

So why are too-loud toys allowed on toy-store shelves? Toy manufacturers are not required to follow any guidelines regarding the sound level of toys, and they aren’t obligated to list a toy’s sound level on its packaging. Five years ago, the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) adopted an acoustic standard (ASTM F963) that states a hand-held, table-top, or crib toy should not exceed 90 dB at 25 cm (e.g. about 10 inches) from the surface of the toy. Compliance with the standard is voluntary.

It should be pointed out that none of the toys SHA tested pose an immediate risk for hearing damage; however, some could pose a risk in a matter of minutes.

To view the 2009 Noisy Toys List, click here.

What should you do about noisy toys? The Sight & Hearing Association offers the following tips:

• - Listen to a toy before you buy it. If it sounds loud to you, it’s too loud for your child.
• - Control the volume. Look for toys with on/off switches and volume control. (Some of the toys on our list had volume controls, but the highest setting was dangerously loud.) If a toy is loud, place clear packing tape over the speaker of the toy. This will help reduce the volume.
• - Report a loud toy. Call the Consumer Product Safety Commission at (800) 638-2772. The Sight & Hearing Association has set up a special e-mail address, ReportAToy@sightandhearing.org, for you to report those too-loud toys.

How often should I have my child’s hearing checked?
If your baby passed a hearing screening before being discharged from the hospital, he should get subsequent screenings between the ages of 3 and 5; every year from kindergarten until third grade; and again in seventh and 11th grades. If your child has a history of ear infections (another cause of hearing loss), he should be checked more frequently. And he should see a doctor/audiologist for a hearing test if he frequently asks, “Huh?” Other red flags: Your child talks very loudly (or sometimes too softly), tilts or turns his head to hear something or someone, and blasts the TV or radio.

Screening spotlight

The Sight & Hearing Association is known for its preschool screening program, but there are many other schools — and children — that benefit from a partnership with our organization, as well.

Minneapolis Academy is one example. This public charter school is the first independent college preparatory middle school in Minneapolis. Its mission is to provide fifth to eighth graders from all walks of life and of all abilities with an educational opportunity that is generally not available to most lower-income and working class families.

Students take gender-specific classes (boys are in class with boys; girls with girls). All students wear uniforms and the school day is the longest in the state: 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It is completely tuition free.

Since 2006, the Sight & Hearing Association has screened approximately 100 students at Minneapolis Academy each year. This past September, 35 percent of the students screened were referred for vision problems and three percent for hearing.

“Sight and hearing is critical,” explains Leon Cooper, Minneapolis Academy director. “If you can’t see, you can’t read or learn. Eight-five percent of our kids come from poverty, so they don’t have medical insurance. Through Sight & Hearing Association, many of these kids are able to get vouchers for the glasses they need.”

SHA’s Vision Voucher for Kids Project offers children who are uninsured or under-insured the ability to get a free eye exam and glasses, if needed. In the last four years, SHA has issued 82 vision vouchers to students at Minneapolis Academy.

Sight & Hearing Association screeners test Minneapolis Academy students in the fall, finding children who need help immediately at the start of the school year. Cooper says it’s an essential piece of their program.

“This program means a lot to the parents of the kids who get glasses,” he said. One of those parents, Ana Santos, recently sent SHA a thank you letter. Her son, Ricardo, received a vision voucher and was able to get the glasses he needed. She writes: “He ware (sic) lenses all the time and I know he is getting better grades.”