Are You Losing Your Hearing?
- Do other people seem to mumble or not speak up, rather than speak clearly to you?
- Do people often have to repeat themselves before you understand what they say?
- Do you have difficulty understanding what is being said in noisy places, such as bars or restaurants, where other people manage to have conversations?
- When you are talking to people in a group, is it hard to keep up with the conversation?
- Do other people think your television is too loud, but you can't hear it properly if it is turned down?
- Do you often have difficulty hearing on the telephone?
- Do other people tell you that you don’t hear well?
- Do you find it tiring to listen to conversations because you have to concentrate hard?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you could be losing your hearing.
The next step is for you to have a hearing test.
Common activities showing decibel levels
and typical physical responses at that noise level
Activity Approx. dB Level Typical Response
Threshold of hearing 0 Not audible
Threshold of sound perception 10 Just audible
Leaves rustling; very soft music 30 Very quiet
Living/dining/bedroom 30
Light car traffic; noisy office; normal conversation 60 Speech interference
Loud conversation; roadside traffic; Restaurant; vacuum 70
Average factory 85 Annoying
Permanent damage of auditory nerves usually commences at about 90 dB
Busy city street; motorcycle; lawn mower; screaming child 90 Can damage hearing after 8 hrs
of exposure per day
Jet take off; train horn; jackhammer; diesel truck 100 Can damage hearing after 2 hrs
of exposure per day
Squealing pigs; inboard motor; typical night club 110 Maximum vocal effort; 30 min
of exposure per day
Amplified rock music (varies) 110-130 30 - 3.75 minutes exposure per day
Heavy destruction of auditory nerves and sharp pain are not uncommon
Car horn; propeller aircraft; air-raid siren 120 7.5 minutes exposure
Military jet; shotgun; hydraulic press 130 3.75 minutes exposure per day
Gun shot; jet engine taking off 140 Danger level
Rocket launching 180 Danger
At 150+ dB: severe pain, immediate massive destruction of Auditory Nerves, and persistent ringing of the ears lasting for days is usually the result.
At this level of sound it won't take much, and you won't have to worry about your hearing... you won't have any!
