Hand Dryers Can Hurt Kids’ Ears

Many public washrooms have hand dryers instead of paper towels to conserve paper and reduce the risk of spreading bacteria and viruses. Many parents report that their children refuse to go into particular washrooms because the dryers are too noisy, and children say they “hurt my ears.” According to research recently published in the Canadian journal Pediatrics & Child Health, the noise they make may be harmful to children's ears.

The dangerous level of restroom hand dryers

Previous research has shown that hand dryers are much louder in real life than in sound testing laboratories. While research has also suggested that hand dryers may operate at dangerously loud levels for adults, no research has explored whether they operate at a safe level for children’s hearing. Children’s ears are more sensitive to damage from loud sounds than adult ears. While Health Canada prohibits the sale of toys with peak loudness greater than 100 dB some hand dryers may operate well over that level. The study from the Canadian Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health tested installed dryers in public washrooms to see if they were safe for children’s hearing. The study suggests that many hand dryers operate at levels far louder than their manufacturers claim and at levels that are clearly dangerous to children’s hearing.

A prodigy of hearing safety

Thanks to a very bright 13-year-old Canadian scientist, Nora Keegan we now have proof that hand dryers in restrooms have dangerous consequences for children. "Sometimes after using hand dryers my ears would start ringing," says 13-year-old Nora Keegan from Calgary, Canada. "I also noticed that children would not want to use hand dryers, and they'd be covering their ears."

When Nora was 9 years old, she decided to test the volume of hand dryers and find out if they were detrimental to children's hearing. The young scientist then presented her research at a Calgary Youth Science Fair earlier this year. She discovered that Xlerator hand dryers and two types of Dyson Airblade hand dryers posed the greatest threats to children's hearing. These types all exceed 100 decibels — a volume that can lead to "learning disabilities, attention difficulties, and ruptured ear drums.” Nora's research confirming her hypothesis was published in this June.

Methods of testing and results

Forty-four hand dryers in public washrooms were each measured for peak sound levels in a standardized fashion, including at children’s ear canal heights. Each dryer was measured at 10 different combinations of heights and distances from the wall, and with and without hands in the air stream coming from the hand dryer, for a total of 20 measurements per dryer. Researchers found that Xlerator units performed the loudest, with all being louder than 100 dBA at all measurements whenever hands were in the airstream. Several Dyson Airblade models were also very loud, including the single loudest measurement of 121 dBA. While some other units operated at low sound levels, many units were louder at children’s ear heights than at adult ear heights. Many dryers operated much louder than their manufacturers claimed.

The dangers of loud noises for children

The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended that adults should not be exposed to more than 85 dBA within an 8-hour period, and exposures above this level are hazardous. Because children’s ears are more sensitive to noise and damage can occur much more quickly.  This is alarming because the more exposure children have to loud noises; the more likely they are to have hearing problems later in life.  Thanks to Nora’s study perhaps numerous children’s ears could possibly be protected during their formative years, from the sounds of a regular restroom hand dryer. In response to these results, Dyson confirmed to NPR in an email that an acoustics engineer would be meeting with Nora to discuss her research.  Excel responded by reporting that their hand dryers did have adjustable settings to control noise.

Get your hearing tested today

If you suspect that your child has been exposed to dangerous loud noises, now is the best time to visit us at Orange County Physicians to get your child’s hearing test.  Getting annual hearing tests can protect your child’s ability to hear healthy as they grow.