"So how loud is the world we live in?"The fact is, listening to any sound at 85 decibels or higher for a prolonged period of time can cause permanent damage to hearing. The maximum safe exposure time to 120 decibels is eight seconds. The problem is there is a raft of activities in our everyday lives that exceed those noise levels.
"For example, an average conversation takes place at around 60 decibels. Standing on a downtown street corner in rush hour, you're probably exposed to about 85 to 90 decibels. While using an electric hair dryer or pushing a gas lawnmower, you're well into the danger zone at 90-plus decibels. At peak levels, iPods can hit volumes of 120 decibels, which is louder than a chainsaw or jackhammer. Music in dance clubs can peak as high as 150 decibels."
Read the rest of this article on hearing loss by Denise Deveau at CBC News.
2 comments:
You don't have to tell me about this! Poor Jon has hearing loss due to a Sloan concert a few years back. We both left the club with dulled hearing -- but his continued and morphed into a constant high-pitched ringing. He can't hear in situations with lots of ambient noise -- like restaurants.
i am deeply terrified.
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