“It was so loud I put cotton in my ears,” a friend told me. Sigh. “Cotton does nothing but give you the illusion you are saving your hearing,” I responded. Hearing protection is readily available at your local pharmacy. And, it is cheap. The hearing protection plugs are called “EAR” plugs and give you about 20 dB reduced hearing. Usually that is enough to lower the loud sounds below the harmful levels.
Noise can be dangerous if you have to shout to be heard over the background noise. If the noise is painful, it is too loud. If your ears start to ring, the noise is too loud.
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Hearing loss from noise exposure can be caused by prolonged exposure to any noise over 85dB. Compare that to normal conversational levels of about 60dB. Sometimes one loud sound can cause hearing loss even if it is not prolonged. Every person’s tolerance is different.
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There are devices we use on a regular basis that are really too loud for our ears. An alarm clock is about 80dB. Hair dryers, which are right next to your ears, are about 90dB! Blenders, vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers are also about 90dB. At full volume, MP3 players are 100dB. Concerts, car racing and sporting events are typically in the 110dB range.
Jet planes at take off send out sound at 120dB. That is why every employee at the airport who is outside wears hearing protection. The noise of the jet engines can cause hearing loss.
At 130dB, ambulance, fire and police sirens are nearing the top of the loudness levels. But, the loudest noises are from gun shots, fireworks and custom car stereos at full volume. These levels reach a mind-numbing level of 140dB. Many firefighters, police officers and military personnel have hearing loss due to serving our communities and country. They are in a tough situation where they need to hear to locate enemy fire, but are possibly harming their hearing while firing their weapons.
Hearing protection can be purchased at gun shops. It is advisable to wear hearing protection if you are at the shooting range. Custom hearing protection can be made by an audiologist. Many musicians use custom ear pieces so they can monitor other members of their band, and reduce other noise. Many famous musicians have significant hearing loss from the years of practicing and performing.
