Hand Drying and Crying?

Did you see the social media buzz about 13-year-old Nora Louise Keegan who published an article about hand dryers in Pediatrics and Child Health?

First, someone encourage this girl to get a PhD in audiology! Second, the findings of her study are interesting and very concerning. In her study, she measured sound levels of 44 hand dryers at different heights and distances and with and without a person’s hands under the air.

Some of the loudest dryers resulted in output between 100-121 dBA, and many of the loudest measurements were at the typical height of children’s ears. Ms. Keegan makes the point that these levels exceed Canada’s maximum allowable output of 100 dB for toys, and that it is not surprising that many children complain that the dryers hurt their ears.

Reference

Keegan NJ. (2019) Children who say hand dryers ‘hurt my ears’ are correct: A real-world study examining the loudness of automated hand dryers in public places. Pediatrics and Child Health.