| Noise induced hearing damage is directly related to | | | | Working refrigerator - 40 dB |
| the duration and volume of exposure to a noise. | | | | A normal conversation - 60 dB |
| While there are drugs that cause tinnitus, exposure | | | | Household dishwasher - 75 dB |
| to loud noise causes ringing in ears and long term | | | | Heavy city traffic - 85 dB |
| hearing loss. | | | | Gas powered lawnmower - 90 dB |
| The unit used to measure sound is called a decibel. | | | | Snowmobile - 100 dBiPod at maximum level - 105 dB |
| You may see it abbreviated as dB. Just think of the | | | | Car horn, rock concert, or orchestra - 110 dB |
| slightest noise you can hear. Perhaps a leaf falling | | | | Jet engine or emergency vehicle siren - 120 dB |
| gently to the ground. What could be the nosiest | | | | A gunshot, firecracker or jet taking off - 140 dB to |
| sound you've ever heard? For many of us it may be | | | | 165 dB |
| a firecracker, for others it may be a grenade landing | | | | What you must understand about these noises that |
| close by or the roar of a NASCAR engine during a | | | | cause ringing in ears is that any sound above 85 dB |
| race. | | | | can cause hearing loss. Also the degree of damage is |
| If you rank a jet engine to the smallest audible sound | | | | directly related both to the power of the sound as |
| it is over one trillion times more powerful than than | | | | well as the length of exposure. |
| tiny noise. That makes scaling the range of noises | | | | If you have a summer job mowing lawns all day long |
| quite a challenge. | | | | that equates to 8 hours of 90 dB sound. If you fire a |
| On the decibel scale the smallest possible noise is | | | | shotgun or let loose a string of firecrackers your |
| zero decibels. A sound that is 10 times more powerful | | | | auditory system is immediately damaged. It only |
| than that falling leaf (or silence) is rated at 10 dB. | | | | takes a moment of noise at 140 dB and above to |
| When a sound is 100 times more powerful than | | | | cause permanent damage to your ears and you may |
| silence it is rated at 20 dB. If a sound is 1000 times | | | | actually feel pain. |
| more powerful than pure silence it is rated at 30 dB. | | | | Don't be surprised if you hear ringing or buzzing in |
| When you are close to a noise it is more powerful | | | | your ears the next day. The bottom line is that |
| (louder) than when you are further away. The ratings | | | | preventing hearing loss or noise induced ringing in the |
| below are taken by someone standing close to the | | | | ears is totally preventable. Get your entire family |
| sound. | | | | wearing hearing protection so you can still enjoy your |
| Total silence - 0 dB | | | | 'noisy' passions. |
| A soft whisper - 15 to 30 dB | | | | |