Without hearing protection, high-decibel exposure can damage hearing, especially when experienced at close range or for prolonged periods of time. 170 – 190 decibels: For example, a shot gun blast or a rocket lift off.125 – 155 decibels: Like, firecrackers or fireworks, or a jet engine.120 – 140 decibels: Such as, a rock concert, auto racing, or a hammer pounding a nail.100 – 120 decibels: For example, a bulldozer, impact wrench, or motorcycle.85 – 100 decibels: For example, a hair dryer, blender, power lawn mower, forklift, or subway train.Levels and sources of damaging noise include: Keep in mind that exposure to sounds higher than 110 decibels can cause instantaneous hearing loss. With extended or up-close exposure, noises that reach 85 decibels or higher can cause permanent damage to the cilia, or hair cells, in the inner ear, leading to permanent hearing loss. DoD-VA Hearing Prosthetics Ordering System.Hearing Evaluation & Treatment Solutions.Standards and Clinical Practice Guidelines.HCE Collaborative Auditory / Vestibular Research Network (CAVRN).Evaluated Hearing Protection Devices (EPL).Comprehensive Hearing Health Program (CHHP).If you need to raise your voice to be heard at an arm’s length, the noise level in the environment is likely above 85 dB in sound intensity and could damage your hearing over time. The risk of damaging your hearing from noise increases with the sound intensity, not the loudness of the sound. For example, ten violins would sound only twice as loud as one violin. In general, to measure loudness, a sound must be increased by 10 dB to be perceived as twice as loud. A sound that seems loud in a quiet room might not be noticeable when you are on a street corner with heavy traffic, even though the sound intensity is the same. Loudness refers to how you perceive audible sounds. Two sounds that have equal intensity are not necessarily equally loud. Also, the intensity of a sound at 100 dB is one billion times more powerful compared to a sound at 10 dB. This means that a sound at 20 dB is 10 times more intense than a sound at 10 dB. Instead, the intensity of a sound grows very fast. The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means that loudness is not directly proportional to sound intensity. Sound intensity is the amount of sound energy in a confined space. How loud something sounds to you is not the same as the actual intensity of that sound. For more information, visit NIOSH’s website.

The time estimates listed in the “Typical Response” column are based on the NIOSH exchange rate of 3 dB. Hearing loss possible in less than 2 minutes Hearing loss possible in less than 5 minutes The maximum volume level for personal listening devices a very loud radio, stereo, or television and loud entertainment venues (such as nightclubs, bars, and rock concerts) Sounds at these dB levels typically don’t cause any hearing damage.ĭamage to hearing possible after 2 hours of exposureĭamage to hearing possible after about 50 minutes of exposureĪpproaching subway train, car horn at 16 feet (5 meters), and sporting events (such as hockey playoffs and football games) Typical Response (after routine or repeated exposure) Sounds and Noises Everyday Sounds and NoisesĪverage Sound Level (measured in decibels)

Decibel examples