Research Suggests Hand Dryers are Potentially Damaging to Children’s Ears

Fireworks, loud concerts, football games – each of these can harm a child’s hearing. But what about an everyday item such as hand dryers?  According to a new study published in the official journal of the Canadian Paediatric Society, some devices can be as loud as an approaching subway train. The study’s author, thirteen-year-old Nora Keegan, spent more than a year taking hundreds of measurements in public restrooms throughout her hometown.

Here, Frank Wartinger, an audiologist within the Department of Audiology and the Center for Childhood Communication provides his expert insight to The New York Times who reported on the study.