Noise and Hearing Loss: Safe Levels and How to Protect Your Ears

Noise everywhere

Noise comes from TVs, radios, lawn mowers, washing machines. Usually it's at safe levels that don't affect hearing. But sounds that are too loud, or loud for a long time, can damage delicate structures of the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss.

How loud is too loud

• Hazardous: louder than 80 decibels — not as loud as traffic on a busy street.
• Who's exposed: more than 30 million Americans, regularly.
• A common cause: loud music, especially through headphones.

Protect your hearing

• Keep the volume down when listening to music.
• Wear earplugs when using loud equipment.

Sources

Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Noise," National Library of Medicine, with content from the NIH's National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; a work of the United States government in the public domain.