What Causes Ringing in Ears? Decibel Guide to Know When You Risk Tinnitus Or Hearing Loss
Noise induced hearing damage is directly related to the duration and volume of exposure to a noise.
While there are drugs that cause tinnitus, exposure to loud noise causes ringing in ears and long term hearing loss.
The unit used to measure sound is called a decibel.
You may see it abbreviated as dB.
Just think of the slightest noise you can hear.
Perhaps a leaf falling gently to the ground.
What could be the nosiest sound you've ever heard? For many of us it may be a firecracker, for others it may be a grenade landing close by or the roar of a NASCAR engine during a race.
If you rank a jet engine to the smallest audible sound it is over one trillion times more powerful than than tiny noise.
That makes scaling the range of noises quite a challenge.
On the decibel scale the smallest possible noise is zero decibels.
A sound that is 10 times more powerful than that falling leaf (or silence) is rated at 10 dB.
When a sound is 100 times more powerful than silence it is rated at 20 dB.
If a sound is 1000 times more powerful than pure silence it is rated at 30 dB.
When you are close to a noise it is more powerful (louder) than when you are further away.
The ratings below are taken by someone standing close to the sound.
Total silence - 0 dB A soft whisper - 15 to 30 dB Working refrigerator - 40 dB A normal conversation - 60 dB Household dishwasher - 75 dB Heavy city traffic - 85 dB Gas powered lawnmower - 90 dB Snowmobile - 100 dB iPod at maximum level - 105 dB Car horn, rock concert, or orchestra - 110 dB Jet engine or emergency vehicle siren - 120 dB A gunshot, firecracker or jet taking off - 140 dB to 165 dB What you must understand about these noises that cause ringing in ears is that any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss.
Also the degree of damage is directly related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure.
If you have a summer job mowing lawns all day long that equates to 8 hours of 90 dB sound.
If you fire a shotgun or let loose a string of firecrackers your auditory system is immediately damaged.
It only takes a moment of noise at 140 dB and above to cause permanent damage to your ears and you may actually feel pain.
Don't be surprised if you hear ringing or buzzing in your ears the next day.
The bottom line is that preventing hearing loss or noise induced ringing in the ears is totally preventable.
Get your entire family wearing hearing protection so you can still enjoy your 'noisy' passions.
While there are drugs that cause tinnitus, exposure to loud noise causes ringing in ears and long term hearing loss.
The unit used to measure sound is called a decibel.
You may see it abbreviated as dB.
Just think of the slightest noise you can hear.
Perhaps a leaf falling gently to the ground.
What could be the nosiest sound you've ever heard? For many of us it may be a firecracker, for others it may be a grenade landing close by or the roar of a NASCAR engine during a race.
If you rank a jet engine to the smallest audible sound it is over one trillion times more powerful than than tiny noise.
That makes scaling the range of noises quite a challenge.
On the decibel scale the smallest possible noise is zero decibels.
A sound that is 10 times more powerful than that falling leaf (or silence) is rated at 10 dB.
When a sound is 100 times more powerful than silence it is rated at 20 dB.
If a sound is 1000 times more powerful than pure silence it is rated at 30 dB.
When you are close to a noise it is more powerful (louder) than when you are further away.
The ratings below are taken by someone standing close to the sound.
Total silence - 0 dB A soft whisper - 15 to 30 dB Working refrigerator - 40 dB A normal conversation - 60 dB Household dishwasher - 75 dB Heavy city traffic - 85 dB Gas powered lawnmower - 90 dB Snowmobile - 100 dB iPod at maximum level - 105 dB Car horn, rock concert, or orchestra - 110 dB Jet engine or emergency vehicle siren - 120 dB A gunshot, firecracker or jet taking off - 140 dB to 165 dB What you must understand about these noises that cause ringing in ears is that any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss.
Also the degree of damage is directly related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure.
If you have a summer job mowing lawns all day long that equates to 8 hours of 90 dB sound.
If you fire a shotgun or let loose a string of firecrackers your auditory system is immediately damaged.
It only takes a moment of noise at 140 dB and above to cause permanent damage to your ears and you may actually feel pain.
Don't be surprised if you hear ringing or buzzing in your ears the next day.
The bottom line is that preventing hearing loss or noise induced ringing in the ears is totally preventable.
Get your entire family wearing hearing protection so you can still enjoy your 'noisy' passions.
Source...