ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE LEVELS
Decibels |
Noise Sources |
| 140 dB | SPACE ROCKET AT BLASTOFF
JET ENGINE AT TAKEOFF FIREARMS |
| 130 | JACKHAMMER |
| 125 | FIRECRACKERS |
| 120 | AMBULANCE SIREN
AMPLIFIED ROCK BAND THUNDER CLAP |
| 117 | THE SHUTTLE TAKE-OFF IN "ARMAGEDDON" |
| 115 | SANDBLASTING
CHILDREN'S TOYS AT EAR (BIKE HORNS, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,CAP GUNS,BEEPERS) |
| 114 | GODZILLA SHREIKING IN "GODZILLA" |
| 110 | WOODWORKING SHOP
RIVETING MACHINE VIDEO ARCADES PERSONAL STEREOS SNOWMOBILES MOTORCYCLE THUNDER |
| 100 | PNEUMATIC DRILL
CHAIN SAW |
| 90 | AVERAGE DENTAL DRILLS (77-96)
LAWNMOWER SHOP TOOLS PRINTING PRESS PLANT TRUCK TRAFFIC NOISY RESTAURANT TOYS TV COMMERCIAL (87) HAIR DRYER |
| 80 | CITY TRAFFIC
INSIDE SPORTS CAR (50 MPH) LOUD MUSIC FROM RADIO |
| 75 | KITCHEN APPLIANCES
VACUUM CLEANER |
| 70 | CROWDED FAMILY RESTAURANT |
| 65 | CONVERSATIONAL SPEECH
BIRDS SINGING |
| 60 | SEWING MACHINE |
| 50 | AVERAGE HOME INTERIOR
ELEGANT BISTRO MODERATE RAINFALL INSIDE CAR AT 50 MPH LARGE STORE (50-60) |
| 40 | QUIET RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY |
| 30 | WHISPER AT 5 FT |
| 20 | LEAVES RUSTLING IN A BREEZE |
| 10 | NORMAL HEARING |
ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE RISK
Decibels | Damage |
| 110 | regular exposure of more than 1 minute risks permanent hearing loss. |
| 100 | No more than 15 minutes unprotected exposure is recommended. |
| 90 | Any prolonged exposure above 90 dB may cause gradual hearing loss. |
|
When people have their hearing examined by an audiologist, pitch sounds between 250-8,000 Hz are routinely measured. These are tested because they are the most important for understanding speech. More recently, some researchers have begun to look at how noise may affect hearing for the very high pitch sounds- those between 9,000 & 18,000 Hz, known as the extended high frequencies. Research has found that some people who are exposed to loud noise have reduced hearing in the extended high frequencies, but not in the more conventional (250-8,000 Hz) frequency range. Based on these findings, it has been suggested that a noise induced hearing loss may be detectable at an earlier stage by testing hearing in the extended high frequencies. |