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BAYER HELPS 'SMART' EARPLUGS PREVENT HEARING LOSS
Sonomax developed and markets the Sonomax Solution, a hearing protection system that succeeds where other systems fail. The high tech earplugs are injection molded from Bayer’s hypoallergenic silicone. The cord connecting the plugs is made from Texin 285 resin and the cord safety-release anchors and the Full-Block filter inserts from Texin 245. Noise—from loud factories to airport runways and rock and roll stages—is the leading cause of hearing loss. Today, NIHL causes as much as one-third of all hearing loss in North America despite the use of noise protectors. In the U.S. alone NIHL takes an annual toll of $18 billion in treatment costs. Traditional hearing protectors, including foam plugs and earmuffs, often fail because they don’t fit properly, or workers remove them due to discomfort or an inability to hold a conversation while they are wearing them. But Sonomax hearing protectors are not your ordinary earplugs. Sonomax President and Founder Nick Laperle explains: “The Sonomax Solution System is the first mass-producible hearing protection product to meet the National Institute for Occupational Safety’s hearing protection criteria,” he said. It combines in-ear hearing protection and computer acoustic technologies. “The reusable, custom-fitted hearing protectors are function-tested and quantified on the spot by interactive-based software,” Laperle said. “The system blocks out sound loud enough to cause hearing loss and still allows the worker to hear speech and other important sounds.” Sonomax selected the Bayer materials for their balance of favorable characteristics: strength, elasticity and sensitivity, to name a few. “We’re proud of our association with Bayer,” says Laperle. “We’ve made the most sophisticated earplug in the world using the best materials in the world.” Sonomax’s devices can be customized to block out the harmful or just plain irritating noise of everyday life—from subway cars to power lawnmowers or snoring. The rattle and screech of a subway train, for example, can generate noise as high as 105 decibels, and exposure to that noise level for only four minutes can destroy some measure of hearing. Laperle notes that hearing loss from harmful noise “is as preventable as cavities or sunburn.” He sees the day when protecting our hearing will become as routine as brushing our teeth or using sunscreen. http://www.bayermaterialscience.com
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