If you find yourself without access to hearing protection, cover your ears with your hands. Wear hearing protectors, such as earplugs or earmuffs.Some music devices have the option for users to set volume control limits.ĭon’t sit or stand right in front of concert speakers. Noises are more likely to damage your hearing if they are: Sounds at or below 70 dBA are usually considered safe, even if they last a long time. Even a single but long-lasting loud event can cause damage. If you are exposed to loud sounds on a regular basis, your risk for permanent damage increases over time. The impact of noise adds up over a lifetime. At concerts, for instance, sitting away from the speakers will reduce your risk.
If you are far away from the sound, the risk of damage to your hearing is much lower. DistanceĪ sound gets louder as you move closer to the source and softer as you move away from it. Fortunately, many devices do have volume limiting controls, which allow you to set the maximum volume to a safe level. Manufacturers are not required to limit the maximum sound output of music devices. For reference, 110 dBA is more than 100 times as intense as 85 decibels! For example, music played through headphones at the highest volume is often 94-110 dBA. Many devices that children use today have noise levels much higher than 85 dBA. The decibel scale measures sound pressure level on a logarithmic scale (based on the power of 10) the human ear’s response to noise levels is also approximately logarithmic too. That’s why some workers are required to wear hearing protectors, such as earplugs or earmuffs, while they are on the job. The ISO Standard 80000-3:2006 sets out the following quantities. One decibel 1/10th of one bel (hence the name ‘Deci’), named in honour of Alexander Graham Bell. Researchers have found that people who are exposed over long periods of time to noise levels at 85 dBA or higher are at a much greater risk for hearing loss. The first use of the decibel scale was for the measurement of power in the telephony of the early 20th century in the Bell System in the United States. 40 dB: quiet office or residential area, light rain. 20 dB: leaves rustling, mosquito buzzing. Let’s take a look at a few common decibel examples that fall below the threshold. Sounds at or below 70 dBA are generally considered safe. Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage your hearing over time. Sounds under 85 dB are generally considered safe. Because people can’t hear all frequencies, or pitches of sound, A-weighted decibels (dBA) can be used to describe sound based on what human ears can actually hear. Sound is measured in units called decibels (dB), just as height is measured in feet or inches. The louder the sound, the more damage it can cause to your hearing, and the quicker this damage will occur. Time: The length of time you are exposed to the sound.Distance: How close you are to the source of the sound.The extent of damage to your hearing caused by noise depends on: