As if people needed excuses NOT to use mass transit

hearing loss? back injury? and what else?

A medline release about subway stations being loud enough to damage hearing has been heavy on my mind of late. I notice that I can often hear the music from my fellow travelers MP3 players- they are cranking it up to hear it over the other noise, which only feeds into this probability of hearing loss. It's also pretty commonly acknowledged that bus/truck drivers are at risk for chronic back pain from the vibrations of the vehicles (here, here, here for a few quickly obtained (if not most definitive) sources). A student project looked at vibrations as well as "measuring “impulsive shocks,” which occur when a bus driver hits a speed bump or a pothole." I have been starting to wonder seriously about the effects of constant vibrations from the metro and the forceful impact of "impulsive shocks" from Baltimore's potholes.

Personally, I feel like I am rolling the dice enough against sustaining an injury in some way: Recent AJOT article highlighted potential for work-related injuries in OTs; I am constantly dancing on the edge of RSI in my wrists, elbows, and shoulders; and I have yet to see the effect from my sports playing, but the possibility of hip, back, ankle or shoulder OA remain highly in the future. Lousy to be thinking about this in my 20s. It's a scary world out there.