How Many Decibels Can a Human Hear
The Impact of Noise on Our Hearing
Our sensory cells are quite fragile and high noise levels can cause major destruction. In this context, here is the nature of things for a range of sound level:
- Up to 80-85 dB: No harm to sensory cells, and hearing remains unaffected.
- Above 85 dB: The hair-like structures in our sensory cells start breaking down, eventually leading to their destruction. Once damaged, these cells cannot regenerate.
At the beginning of the human's life, one has only a small number of due to the sensory cells (about 15,000) which were damaged only leading to a partial or complete loss of hearing.
Noise Levels and Their Effects
It is essential to note that with sound, the degree of risk to your ear varies and can be estimated by its length of exposure and the potential loudness of the sound and the use of ear protection.
- Up to 80 dB (Green): No risk, regardless of exposure time.
- 80-90 dB (Yellow): Low risk with prolonged exposure.
- 90-115 dB (Red): High risk; the louder the sound, the quicker the damage.
- Above 115 dB (Brown): Immediate, permanent damage from very short exposure.
The higher the volume the quicker it can hurt your ears. Wearing protective gear for your ears lowers the strength of sound that reaches them, which lets you listen for longer stretches of time.
Signs That Noise Might Be Harmful
Here are some clues that a sound might be damaging your hearing:
- You struggle to talk or hear others over the noise.
- The sound causes pain in your ears.
- You experience ringing in your ears after hearing the sound.
- Other sounds seem muffled after leaving a noisy area.
Common Noise Levels
| Noise Source | Average Decibels (dB) |
|---|---|
| Rustling leaves, soft music, whispers | 30 |
| Normal household noise | 40 |
| Normal conversation, background music | 60 |
| Office noise, car interior at 60 mph | 70 |
| Vacuum cleaner, radio at normal volume | 75 |
| Heavy traffic, window A/C, noisy restaurant | 80–89 (Potential risk above 85 dB) |
| Subway, shouting conversation | 90–95 |
| ATVs, motorcycles | 96–100 |
| School dance | 101–105 |
| Chainsaw, leaf blower, snowmobile | 106–115 |
| Sports crowd, loud rock concert | 120–129 |
| Car races | 130 |
| Gunshots, siren at 100 feet | 140 |