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Sound Exposure and Potential Hearing Loss



Recently, there was a post on the ICSOM board that I thought I would share the info from. ICSOM is the International Congress of Symphony and Opera Musicians, which consists of the musicians of the major US and some international orchestras.

The topic was How long can a person endure a certain noise level before hearing impairment occurs. As you can imagine, this is a fairly hot topic among symphonic musicians the world over, as it has been proven that we will lose at least 20% of our hearing over the course of our careers. I think audiophiles will also be very interested in the following stats, especially those of you who like to listen very loudly for long periods.

What follows are the current standards for recommended permissible exposure duration for continuous time weighted average noise, according to NIOSH and CDC. Keep in mind this is an average level for continuous exposure, and these numbers may not represent a world wide view of the subject. Basically, for every 3dB beyond 82dB, the permissible exposure time is cut in half before hearing damage will occur.

82dB - 16 hours
85dB - 8 hours
88dB - 4 hours
91dB - 2 hours
94dB - 1 hour
97dB - 30 minutes
100dB - 15 minutes
103dB - 7.5 minutes
106dB - less than 4 minutes
109dB - less than 2 minutes
112dB - less than 1 minute
115dB - less than 30 seconds
learsfool

Showing 1 response by sabai

sabai
2,027 posts
 
Learsfool,
Thanks for this very useful information. I have worn earplugs for 35 years. In the 1960s and 1970s I could be seen at concerts with my fingers in my ears -- Sly and the Family Stone and others. I walked out of a Smokey Robinson concert in the 1970s when I forgot my ear plugs and did not wish to have my fingers in my ears for the duration. As a result of having protected my hearing all my life, I can now hear 16,000 Hertz and am able to enjoy the most delicate sounds of my music system -- at moderate listening levels.
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