If you’ve ever been to a rock concert or sporting event in an arena, you might have experienced a sound that was loud enough to damage your hearing. You might have even noticed a ringing in your ears before you went to sleep following the event. These sounds can harm delicate inner ear structures and trigger noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Although these situations are dangerous, indeed, the natural world is full of far louder sounds.
Noise is measured in units we call decibels (dB). Any noise above 85 decibels may trigger hearing loss, and the amount of damage is linked to both sound level and the duration of exposure. Put simply, the louder the sound, the less time you can be exposed to it before permanent hearing damage occurs. When it comes to the loudest sounds in the natural world, you are unlikely to hear them at a close enough range or for a long enough time to experience hearing damage. However, without proper protection, many sounds of human design can cause this kind of hearing loss.
The Top Ten Loudest Sounds
Let’s count down the loudest sounds in the world. As you can see, some of these do pose a risk for hearing damage. Wearing hearing protection is the best way to reduce the dB that enters your ear canal, preserving the tiny hairlike organelles called stereocilia that enable you to hear.
- Rock Concerts: A rock concert can reach an ear-splitting 135-145 dB. Many countries around the world have established limits to the volume musicians are allowed to produce, but not all venues abide by these limits. Musicians are at a high risk of hearing loss due to these sounds, as are music lovers who attend concerts.
- Fireworks: When fireworks explode, the volume can reach 145-150 dB. With the explosion occurring high in the sky, you are likely to experience a lower volume on the ground. Nonetheless, hearing protection is wise when you are going to a big fireworks display.
- Gunshots: A single gunshot can reach up to 145-155 dB, and a shooter holding a gun close to the ear is at the greatest risk. Whether you are shooting at a gun range or on a hunting trip, hearing protection is essential for the shooter, as well as those nearby.
- Racecars: A NHRA dragster screaming down the raceway registers in at 155-160 decibels, loud enough to shake your body. If you attend a race, be sure to put in earplugs. At this decibel level, the driver requires more advanced protection, such as noise-canceling earmuffs.
- Space Shuttles: Unlike many other loud noises, the shuttle rocket sound reaches a constant 165-170 dB as it creates the power to lift off the ground into space. As we know, the duration of sound combines with the decibel level to create hearing damage. Whereas a gunshot is a single blast, a space shuttle sustains an even louder sound, making advanced protection necessary.
- Blue Whales: The largest creature in the animal kingdom makes the loudest sound of any animal in the world. Its mating call reaches levels up to 188 dB and can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater. Water particles absorb some of the sound pressure, limiting the effect on human ears at a distance underwater. However, if you were to find yourself at close range to one of these magnificent animals, even water particles would be insufficient to protect you from hearing damage.
- Volcanic Eruptions: The Krakatoa volcanic eruption emitted a sound loud enough to cause serious damage to the island, known to be the loudest sound ever reported at 180 dB. This natural phenomenon in 1883 was so loud it was heard 3,000 miles (5,000 km) away. Other volcanic eruptions no doubt pose a risk to hearing, as well. With sufficient warning, those in the proximity can escape to safety for their lives and hearing, as well.
- Bombs: When a 1-ton TNT bomb explodes, it can emit a sound of 210 dB. The pressure of the explosion causes physical devastation, and the ripple of air pressure can cause hearing damage even for those who are at a distance from the blast. Hearing protection is mandated for those who serve in combat, as well as those military service members who take part in training involving bomb simulations.
- Earthquakes: A strong earthquake registering 5.0 on the Richter scale can reach a decibel level of 235. Your location relative to the fault plane matters most. Though the quake can be felt for many miles around, hearing damage is a risk for those who are closest to the seismic waves in the lithosphere at the site of the quake.
- Meteors: The Tunguska Meteor impact in 1908 created a huge explosion in Russia close to the Tunguska River of Podkamennaya. This approximately 12 megaton explosion had the comparable effect of a bomb, creating 300-315 dB of sound pressure. Many regard this incident as the loudest sound recorded in human history.
Everyday Sounds and Hearing Damage
Although the likelihood of experiencing a meteor impact is minute, many of the sounds in our everyday lives can pose a much greater risk of hearing damage. Don’t forget that relatively quieter sounds that are experienced for a sustained duration of time can create the same hearing damage as louder sounds that occur as a single blast. These sounds pose a serious risk to your hearing, and it is important to remember how dangerous these everyday sounds can be. Take, for instance, a commute on a subway train. This mode of transportation can be loud enough to cause hearing damage for those who have long commutes. However, a much greater risk is posed by the use of earbuds on subways. Added to the already loud sound of the train, earbuds compete with the background noise, adding additional sound blasting directly into the ear canal.
Many point to earbuds to account for the rise in hearing loss among younger people. Approximately 12.5% of kids and teenagers aged 6–19 years (around 5.2 million) and 17% of adults aged 20–69 years (around 26 million) have experienced permanent hearing loss from excessive noise exposure. The World Health Organization has predicted that unsafe earphone use will be a major cause of noise-induced hearing loss in the future, and they are actively pursuing public education campaigns to make the public aware of this danger.
Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
What can you do to limit these risks? Though you can’t predict a meteor impact, earthquake, or volcanic eruption, you can do a few simple things to limit your exposure to noise in everyday life. Three important steps can help you prevent NIHL before it occurs:
- Know the risks: Understanding what sounds in your everyday life can cause damage will help you get the protection you need. You can measure the decibel level of your environment with a simple smartphone app, and this reading can be used as a general guideline to determine how advanced your protection needs to be. If you experience tinnitus, ear pain, distorted hearing, muffled communication, or a failure to hear certain ambient sounds that others can hear, you might have already incurred NIHL. Don’t delay making an appointment for a hearing test if any of these warning signs sound familiar to you.
- Reduce your exposure: Adopt behaviors to protect your hearing, including lowering the volume of music systems, moving away from the source of loud sounds when you can, and limiting the time you spend with earbuds or headphones. You can even set limits to the maximum volume that your smartphone will emit, and a good rule of thumb is to keep the volume below 75 percent of the maximum output.
- Wear hearing protection: Even disposable foam earplugs can attenuate sound by 10-15 decibels, pulling many everyday sounds into a safe volume range. If you know that you are exposed to louder sounds, you may need more advanced protection, such as custom-fitted earplugs or noise-canceling earmuffs.
Swift Audiology
Looking to safeguard your hearing against harmful noise? Particularly for those who engage in loud work or leisure activities, we offer custom protection to help prevent NIHL. If you’re worried you have already incurred hearing loss, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation and hearing test right away.