I worked for 27 years in commercial Nuclear Power Plants. When I started hearing protection was not mandatory. Along the way OSHA came into being and areas were posted with required hearing protection. Some areas such as Diesel Generator rooms actually required both inserts and external muffs for adequate noise reduction. For over 40 years I did not wear hearing protection while hunting. A couple of years ago I took up Sporting Clays and wore foam plugs. About a year ago I developed mild Tinnitus.
An ENT I saw said that my hearing was normal and that most Tinnitus patients had suffered some sort of hearing loss. I stopped Sporting Clays, used foam plugs for hunting and the Tinnitus has gone away for the the most part. Hearing damage can in some cases be somewhat reversable. I remember early in my career crawling around some turbines without hearing protection. My ears buzzed for a few days but gradually stopped. I don't know the actual reason for the cessation of the Tinnitus but I will only use external muffs for target shooting now and will have a pair of electronic muffs for hunting this fall. I don't trust ANY type of internal hearing protection anymore.-Dick

Last edited by Dick_dup1; 05/20/08 05:19 AM.