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The range of sounds measured on the decibel scale is from 0 dB (the quietest sound) to 140 dB (the threshold of pain). Sounds above 85 dB are considered by specialized organizations like NIOSH (the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) to be dangerous to human hearing.
Sound levels are most commonly measured in decibels (dB), which range from barely audible to loud enough to cause physical pain. The risk of hearing loss starts at around 70 dB. Exposure to sounds at 85-decibel levels and above damages your hearing.
Sounds at or below 70 dB are considered safe for your hearing. That’s the sound of a normal conversation between two people. Sounds at 80 or 85 dB will damage your hearing over time. And that’s the sound of heavy traffic—from inside a car.
Noise Level Charts | Noise Level DB Charts. Most noise level charts show examples of sounds with dB levels ranging from 0 to 140 decibels or in a few cases 0 to 180 decibels. However, sound can go all the way up to 190 dB!
To use this noise pollution calculator, enter the noise level in deceibels (dB) and it will automatically calculate the maximum amount of time for safe.
dB SPL (sound pressure level) – for sound in air and other gases, relative to 20 micropascals (μPa), or 2 × 10 −5 Pa, approximately the quietest sound a human can hear. For sound in water and other liquids, a reference pressure of 1 μPa is used.
Overview. The NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure is 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) over an eight-hour shift. If workers are repeatedly exposed to noise at or above the REL, employers must provide a hearing loss prevention program.
One easily measured factor is sound intensity, or volume, which is measured in decibels. A-weighted decibels, or “dBA,” are often used to describe sound level recommendations for healthy listening.
Sounds over 85 dBa can damage your hearing faster. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dBA. For example, you can listen to sounds at 85 dBA for up to 8 hours. If the sound goes up to 88 dBA, it is safe to listen to those same sounds for 4 hours.
On the decibel scale, the smallest audible sound (near total silence) is 0 dB. It's a logarithmic scale, so a sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB.