Ear protection

Wed Sep 23 14:14:30 UTC 2015

On Wed, 2015-09-23 at 13:48 +0000, Bryan Holloway wrote:
> Depends on the type of "noise" too.

Obviously seek competent medical advice, but my understanding is that
this is a myth.

The energy of sound is what causes damage. Bach played at 120dB will do
just the same damage as a jet engine at 120dB. By reducing the "alarm"
factor - by being more predictable, basically - loud sounds like music
are often easier to tolerate and are often perceived as less loud, but
energy is energy, and energy is damage.

The other factor is time - the longer the sound continues at a given
level, the more damage it does to the hearing.

Here in Australia, 84dB for 8 hours is the highest "dose" that is
legally allowed in the workplace without hearing protection. For sounds
over about 95dB hearing protection is required even for short exposures.

Regards, K.

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