Around 210 Decibels is the point at which sound becomes lethal to humans. That's about the same loudness as a close-by jet engine and around 2,000 times more intense than an average conversation. Researcher Jurgen Altmann showed that a 210 dB is the absolute threshold in painful sound intensity in humans. This is the level at which pressure the body's inner organs can influence the body.

This post will explain how many decibels it takes to kill a human and explain how this relates to sound

Why is the sound unsafe?

The danger of noise damage is not due simply to an increase in volume. Instead, it’s due to changes in frequency and timing that can cause irreversible harm, such as: Distortion: Change in the shape of sounds that occur as they move away from their original wavelength. This may sound strange but just think about your voice when you talk on a telephone. The words aren’t coming out crisp and clear but muddled and unintelligible. That effect can happen at high levels of noise. When that happens, it is actually damaging to the delicate hair cells in the ear that help you hear; it’s like turning up an 8-track that has been recorded at too low of volume.

Change in the shape of sounds that occur as they move away from their original wavelength. This may sound strange but just think about your voice when you talk on a telephone. The words aren’t coming out crisp and clear but muddled and unintelligible. That effect can happen at high levels of noise. When that happens, it is actually damaging to the delicate hair cells in the ear that help you hear; it’s like turning up an 8-track that has been recorded at too low of volume.

Auditory fatigue

Auditory fatigue is caused by the continuous exposure to loud noise and actually causes damage to the nerve pathways in the ear. Auditory fatigue can be thought of as a ringing in your ears, or it may go away after some rest.

Auditory fatigue is caused by the continuous exposure to loud noise and actually causes damage to the nerve pathways in the ear. Auditory fatigue can be thought of as a ringing in your ears, or it may go away after some rest. Tinnitus: Tinnitus is more of a psychological problem resulting from prolonged exposure to loud sounds. It is common among combat veterans, musicians, DJs, factory workers, factory workers, etc., for this reason.

Is 7 Hertz dangerous?

The sound of 7 Hz is this is close to our own brainwaves, called alpha. If you listen to that sound, it’s like listening to your own brain activity.

What is the decibel scale?

The Decibel (dB) Scale is a logarithmic unit of measure for Sound Levels . It was first described by the American engineer James Clerk Maxwell in 1883, and widely used today. The scale is used to describe the perceived loudness of sounds over time. The decibel scale takes the ratio of two quantities, where each quantity has a negative value and compared using absolute values. These two quantities are called one-third power (n) and two-thirds power (2n).

How many dB does it take to go deaf?

Sound above 85 dB is considered dangerous. 85 dB is the maximum sound level tolerated by most people. Anything above that can damage your ears and cause permanent damage. 85 dB is only the same as busy street traffic, 90dB is a hairdryer and 110 dB is a rock concert.

85dB can be listen to for upto 8 hours without any problems, but it depends on how loud you listen. Most people listen to music over 85dB for less than 5 hours without protection. Wearing earplugs at a concert will definitely help you stay safe. My recommendation would be to bring earplugs with you and put them in if you start having trouble hearing the person next to you. I cringe every time I see someone walk into a loud venue without earplugs, because it is guaranteed they will be having some hearing problems the next day.

How do you tell if your hearing is damaged?

There are several thing that you can do at home to see if you have started to lose your hearing:

•  Finding it hard to tell what you are listening to
  
  
•  Find it hard to follow conversations in a group when everyone is talking at the same time
  
  
•  Find it hard to distinguish between sounds in different volumes (e.g.: road noise, shout in ear, low volume radio)
  
  
•  Find your hearing seems to be affected by feedback (e.g.: feedback for headphones for mobile phones or speakers will be affected)
  
  
•  Have someone whisper in your ear. If you can’t hear them, or if they have to repeat themselves, that could be a sign of hearing loss.
  
  
•  Go to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist to get your ears checked out. He can test your hearing with an audiogram to see what sounds you can hear at various frequencies and volumes.
  
  
•  Take an online hearing test like https://www.bootshearingcare.com/online-hearing-test/

Conclusion

There is no such thing as the perfect sound, the perfect frequency, or the perfect volume. What is safe for you may not be safe for someone else. You have to listen to what your ears say and adjust accordingly.

I’m a big proponent of wearing earplugs whenever you are going out to a concert or a night club. If you can avoid doing irreparable damage to your ears from loud noise, why wouldn’t you? And don’t worry about looking dumb, most people do it anyways and who cares what they think! In my book, protecting your hearing is as important as protecting yourself from germs.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something from it. Thanks for sharing if you enjoyed it as well! Let me know in the comments what you thought of this article.