Spring brings longer days and more activity — but also more noise. Here are some common seasonal sources of damaging noise:
Motorcycles
Though hearing loss starts at 85 decibels (dB), engine noise can hit 100 dB while riding, and at that level, the acceptable exposure limit is only 15 minutes.
Home Improvement
According to the CDC, power tools can reach 100 dB. With hand drills hitting 98 dB, power mowers 107 dB, and power saws 110 dB, it’s easy to incur hearing damage in your shed or shop.
Public Transportation
The squeal and grind of light rails, trains, and even buses have the potential to damage the hearing of daily riders because of constant noise exposure. Plus, ordinary street traffic can reach levels of 100 dB or more.
Convertibles
Convertibles leave ears exposed to the dangerous noise levels of the road. One study found that driving some convertibles at speeds between 50 and 70 miles per hour exposed drivers to noise levels of 88 to 90 dB.
Concerts
Concert noise levels can register upward of 100 dB and last for hours, potentially causing sudden or gradual hearing loss that’s temporary or permanent.
Watching Sports
It’s easy to forget how loud your surroundings are when you’re at a stadium or sports bar, but many generate crowd noise dangerous enough to damage hearing. In 2014, Seattle’s CenturyLink Field posted a decibel record of 137.6, enough to cause permanent damage in 30 seconds!