P.E.I.'s top public health doctor sounds the alarm on air horns in hockey arenas
The noisemakers can be tough on your hearing and game play alike, officials warn
P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer is raising concerns about the use of compressed air horns in ice arenas.
After her office received a written submission about the issue, Dr. Heather Morrison sent a letter to Hockey P.E.I. in December that described the health risks associated with the use of such noisemakers.
"Compressed air horns may produce a sound at 100 dB or higher," the letter reads. "When an individual is exposed to long, repeated or close-proximity exposure to decibels higher than 70 dB, it can cause hearing loss."
Audiologists like Krista Campbell aren't surprised about the concerns.
"It's actually a fairly common comment that I hear as an audiologist in terms of some of the sounds that are in our day-to-day lives," Campbell said. "It certainly comes up about the noise levels at sporting events."
In physics, sound is just concentrated waves of air pressure, she said. "What happens with something like an air horn is the pressure is very high, so the sound level is very high and that hits the eardrum at a harder level.
"If someone is visiting an arena quite frequently where these air horns are being used, that could cause some long-term damage."
She said she's happy the issue is getting some attention.
"We want people to have fun and go and cheer for their team and whatnot, but there is a risk," she said. "The more we're in sporting events or the longer we're going to be there, the more important it is for us to take some steps to minimize… the risk."
Banning the noisemakers
These days, air horns are banned at two of the Island's biggest arenas: the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown and Credit Union Place in Summerside.
Air horns have been banned at the latter arena since 2023.
"It is something that's banned currently from our recreational venue, that we don't welcome inside of our venue," said Tanner Doiron, event and communications manager for the City of Summerside.
He characterized the move as "trying to just foster a more safe, welcoming, inclusive environment for all our event-goers and fans alike."
Many venues across North America ban the use of air horns, so the City of Summerside saw this update to its code of conduct as an "easy fix," Doiron said.
But that doesn't mean it's always easy to enforce.
For larger events, the city does bag checks with security enforcement at the door. If they find an air horn, the person who brought it will be asked to put it back in their vehicle or surrender it before entering.
It makes it hard on the ice as an official to police the game and ensure the players can actually hear you communicate with them.— Tanner Doiron
But for smaller groups that are the typical day-to-day users of the building, enforcement is more challenging, Doiron said.
He said the arena's user groups, including hockey associations, have to let their members and fan base know about the rules, and help keep air horns out of the facility.
Challenge for game play
Doiron is also a referee and travels the country to officiate at different rinks. He said there are fewer and fewer of the horns, but when he does hear them, it can be tough — and not just on people's hearing.
"There's been some wild games I have officiated, in terms of how loud they can get," he said. "It makes it hard on the ice as an official to police the game and ensure the players can actually hear you communicate with them when the whistle is going."
There's another impact people might not think of, he added: "When the air horns are going, it actually sometimes causes the players to think it's a stoppage of play and it gets confusing on the ice."
Tami Lewis, Hockey P.E.I.'s executive director, said it forwarded Morrison's letter to all minor hockey association presidents, council representatives and the executive director of Recreation P.E.I.
"Currently, Hockey P.E.I. doesn't have any specific ban in place," Lewis said in an email statement.
"We have shared the message with our members but if greater support becomes warranted of our organization, I certainly believe our board would be supportive of the facilities and province with any messaging required for that.
"Hockey is obviously a large user of local facilities, and we hope that spectators are considerate while in and around those facilities of any rules or bans in place regarding noisemaker use."
'100 per cent preventable'
For those who often find themselves in loud environments like sporting arenas or concerts, there are ways to protect your hearing health, said Campbell.
"The quickest and easiest way to protect your hearing in any situation is by wearing hearing protection. So, you kind of prevent what you can't avoid," she said.
Ear plugs, ear muffs and even noise-cancelling headphones can be used as hearing protection, Campbell said, adding: "The best hearing protection is the protection that you're going to wear and use."
For the most effective protection, custom hearing protection that's molded to the shape of your ears is "certainly worth the investment," she said. "Otherwise, I prefer ear muffs."
While foam ear plugs are commonly used, they have a high failure rate since people often do not put them in properly, she said.
Another way to protect your hearing is to move away from loud noises when you can, whether it be moving seats or taking a bathroom break, Campbell said.
"We always kind of joke that we like the beer tent at concerts because that gets people a little bit away from the noise for a little bit and it gives your ear a break.
"We do know that noise-induced or loud sound-induced… hearing loss is 100 per cent preventable," she said.
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With files from Island Morning