How loud is too loud? 1.1 billion people that use earphones are in danger
1.1 billion young people worldwide are in danger of developing hearing problems due to listening to loud music in their earphones for hours, according to the World Health Organization. The same concerning situation can be found in Europe, where around 10 million citizens are at risk due to exposure to overly loud noises. This exposure can lead to irreversible lesions which in time can progress to the loss of hearing, and it can affect people of any age.
The maximum noise limit that people can bear is around 120 decibels. Humans can bear up to 140 decibels at most, but beyond 120 decibels there are painful sensations and the sounds cannot be correctly heard anymore, because the intensity distorts its perception.
In order to understand this you should know that the engine of an airplane has 120 decibels, and noise level during a rock concert reaches 110 decibels. The streets have noise levels of up to 90 decibels, and birds are chirping at about 60 decibels. A normal conversations has a level of 50 decibels, while whispers have around 30 decibels.
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Specialists claim that exposures over the limit of 80 decibels, for four hours a day and many days in a row, can lead to irreversible hearing loss.
Therefore, you should pay great attention when using current digital music formats, because they allow very high intensities of the sound, of 80 – 115 decibels on various devices, and headphones for mobile phones can increase this level.
In order to protect your hearing, you should take breaks of five minutes every hour when listening to music, pay attention to the type of earphones you use and consult a specialist if you notice that you have difficulties in understanding those around you or you hear a ringing in your ears.
If you have children, make sure periodically that they listen to music at a reasonable volume and be careful when choosing the musical devices you buy for them.
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