Disclaimer

I’m not a doctor, and nothing on this site is medical advice.

No medical advice, no doctor-patient relationship

Everything on Safe-in-Sound.org (the articles, the Safe Limits exposure calculator, the equipment notes, and the doctor list) is general information based on my own research and personal experience with hearing damage, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. I’m not a doctor, audiologist, or any other kind of licensed medical or hearing health professional. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a substitute for seeing a qualified professional.

Using this site, emailing me, or reading anything here does not create a doctor-patient, audiologist-patient, or any other professional relationship between us. Always talk to a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your hearing, your health, or any medical condition, especially before starting, stopping, or changing anything based on what you read here.

The calculator is an estimate, not a measurement

The Safe Limits calculator uses published NIOSH exposure-time guidance and standard NRR/SNR derating formulas to estimate a safe exposure time. It’s a rough guide, not a measurement of your actual noise exposure or your actual protection. Real-world results depend on things the calculator can’t know: how well your earplugs actually fit, the true sound level in the room versus what a phone app or meter reads, and how individually susceptible you are to noise damage, which varies a lot person to person. Don’t treat its output as a guarantee of safety.

The doctor list is a personal opinion, not a referral

The providers listed on the Doctors page are people I’ve personally seen, or that people I trust have seen. It’s one person’s experience: not a professional referral, not a directory, not an endorsement, and not a guarantee that any of them are right for you or will treat you well. I have no financial relationship with anyone listed, and nobody has paid to be included. Do your own research and pick a provider who’s right for your situation.

Information may be outdated or wrong

I update this site when I can, but hearing health guidance, product specs, and provider information all change over time. I make no guarantee that anything here is current, complete, or accurate. Verify anything important (dosages, protection ratings you’re relying on, whether a listed provider is still practicing at the location shown) before you rely on it.

This site links to outside sites: manufacturers, providers, research, apps. I don’t control those sites and I’m not responsible for their content, accuracy, or how they handle your data. A link here isn’t an endorsement of everything on that site.

I don’t run affiliate links and nobody pays me to recommend anything on this site.

Use this site at your own risk

To the fullest extent permitted by law, this site and its content are provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty that the information is accurate, complete, or fit for a particular purpose. You use this site, and act on anything in it, at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I’m not liable for any injury, hearing damage, or other loss or damage of any kind arising from your use of, or reliance on, this site or anything in it.

If it’s an emergency, this website can’t help you

Sudden hearing loss in one ear (over hours or a day or two, not gradually over years) is a medical emergency. Steroids work best within days. Don’t use this site, wait for an appointment, or look for information online: go to urgent care or an emergency room now and say “sudden sensorineural hearing loss.”

Changes to this disclaimer

I may update this page as the site changes. The version posted here at the time you read it is the one that applies.

Questions

Contact me if you have questions about any of this.