Right now, Rob Swire - member of the music group Knife Party and former member of the group Pendulum - is receiving a lot of flack from the vaping community for a series of tweets he did alleging that the propylene glycol in e-juice caused him to temporarily lose hearing in his left ear:
Now, I respect people for trying to inform society when they think there's something dangerous out there. But, let's look at a few things in regards to his tweets:
1) He's a member of a electronic/dance musical band who is constantly abusing his hearing at concerts by being around really loud music, even louder speakers, and heavy, heavy bass beats.
2) He's a DJ so he's also constantly around extremely loud, bass-heavy music for that job.
3) He's a drummer. That's an instrument with high potential for destroying your hearing.
4) While Propylene Glycol *IS* otoxic, it is only such when applied directly to the ear canal. A vapor that contains this substance isn't necessarily otoxic or hospitals would not use propylene glycol vapor as a disinfectant in hospital rooms. Also, more and more people who spend a lot of time at concerts, raves, and events with heavy usage of fog machines would be reporting hearing loss.
5) Hearing loss from an otoxic substance is unable to be treated or reversed.
The first three things I listed are pretty self-explanatory - or at least you'd think they were. In an industry where your hearing is repeatedly assaulted by unhealthily loud decibels (such as the music industry), temporary hearing loss is common. You're exposed to high volume, high decibels, loud screams, heavy bass beats - all of it assaulting your fragile hearing.
I mean, who hasn't been at a concert and noticed a little hearing loss for a while afterwards?
So for this man who has been in the industry as a producer since 1999 and an artist since 2006 to immediately think, "Man, it has to be the vaping - not the exposure to unhealthy levels of noise," is pretty moronic. How is it you can skip the obvious and go straight to something way out in left-field as far as possible causes?
But what about the otoxic effects of propylene glycol? He's was 100% right - it's not used in ear drops because it IS otoxic. But there is no evidence known that shows it's going to cause hearing loss used in ways other than direct contact with the ear canal. In fact, hospitals have been using propylene glycol vapor to disinfect hospital rooms WHILE PATIENTS ARE STILL IN THEM for a while now. Propylene Glycol is also a main component of asthma inhalers, and I've never once heard of an asthma sufferer losing their hearing because they had to use their inhaler.
The biggest thing that gets me, though, is his claim that the hearing loss had been restored. You would think, in a day and age where information is immediately accessible at your fingertips, he would have done some research on otoxic hearing loss before making those claims because hearing loss due to otoxic substances is untreated and irreversible.
That's right - can't be treated or corrected. So his claims that his doctor restored his hearing loss caused by propylene glycol in e-juice is nothing more than well spun bullshit!
According to the website http://vestibular.org/ototoxicity, there is no cure for this kind of hearing loss:
What is the treatment?
At present there are no treatments that can reverse the damage. Currently available treatments focus on reducing the effects of the damage and rehabilitating function. Specifically, individuals with hearing loss may be helped with hearing aids; those with profound bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss have been shown to benefit from cochlear implants. In fact, many early recipients of cochlear implants were victims of ototoxicity. When a loss of balance function has occurred, physical therapy can help the brain become accustomed to the altered balance signals coming from the inner ear. Physical therapy can also assist an individual in developing other ways to maintain balance such as emphasizing the use of vision and proprioception—the sensation felt by the soles of the feet, the ankles, knees, and hips— and structuring a program of general physical conditioning and exercises designed to strengthen and tone muscles.- See more at: http://vestibular.org/ototoxicity#sthash.4Gxy3qLn.dpuf
What
is the treatment?
At
present there are no treatments that can reverse the damage. Currently
available treatments focus on reducing the effects of the damage and
rehabilitating function. Specifically, individuals with hearing loss may be
helped with hearing aids; those with profound bilateral (two-sided) hearing
loss have been shown to benefit from cochlear implants. In fact, many early
recipients of cochlear implants were victims of ototoxicity. When a loss of
balance function has occurred, physical therapy can help the brain become
accustomed to the altered balance signals coming from the inner ear. Physical
therapy can also assist an individual in developing other ways to maintain
balance such as emphasizing the use of vision and proprioception—the sensation felt
by the soles of the feet, the ankles, knees, and hips— and structuring a
program of general physical conditioning and exercises designed to strengthen
and tone muscles.
I can actually support the fact that this type of hearing loss is incurable. My son happens to suffer from hearing loss due to his hair cells not functioning properly, and the only thing they can do for him is give him hearing aids to wear. There's no miracle drug or procedure or anything that can restore complete hearing loss due to this type of loss.
So, Mr. Swire, please do us all the favor of actually RESEARCHING something before you start making claims in such a public arena. We live in the internet age and it's so easy to provide proof for your claims before you make them.
I guarantee, if you don't, we will find the proof to refute your claims and make you look foolish.
What is the treatment?
At present there are no treatments that can reverse the damage. Currently available treatments focus on reducing the effects of the damage and rehabilitating function. Specifically, individuals with hearing loss may be helped with hearing aids; those with profound bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss have been shown to benefit from cochlear implants. In fact, many early recipients of cochlear implants were victims of ototoxicity. When a loss of balance function has occurred, physical therapy can help the brain become accustomed to the altered balance signals coming from the inner ear. Physical therapy can also assist an individual in developing other ways to maintain balance such as emphasizing the use of vision and proprioception—the sensation felt by the soles of the feet, the ankles, knees, and hips— and structuring a program of general physical conditioning and exercises designed to strengthen and tone muscles.- See more at: http://vestibular.org/ototoxicity#sthash.4Gxy3qLn.dpuf
What is the treatment?
At present there are no treatments that can reverse the damage. Currently available treatments focus on reducing the effects of the damage and rehabilitating function. Specifically, individuals with hearing loss may be helped with hearing aids; those with profound bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss have been shown to benefit from cochlear implants. In fact, many early recipients of cochlear implants were victims of ototoxicity. When a loss of balance function has occurred, physical therapy can help the brain become accustomed to the altered balance signals coming from the inner ear. Physical therapy can also assist an individual in developing other ways to maintain balance such as emphasizing the use of vision and proprioception—the sensation felt by the soles of the feet, the ankles, knees, and hips— and structuring a program of general physical conditioning and exercises designed to strengthen and tone muscles.- See more at: http://vestibular.org/ototoxicity#sthash.4Gxy3qLn.dpuf
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