Everday Noises
Before we go too far down this road, let’s set some baselines for reference. Here’s a list of common stuff we hear. These numbers are easily verifiable, so don’t take my word for it.
• 0 dB is the threshold of human hearing. Total silence, the quietest sound a healthy ear can detect.
• 10 dB is your own breathing, or leaves barely moving.
• 30 dB is a whisper across the room, or a quiet bedroom at night.
• 40 to 50 dB is a library, or a quiet house with the fridge humming.
• 60 dB is a normal conversation at the dinner table.
• 70 dB is a vacuum cleaner or freeway traffic heard from inside the car.
• 80 to 85 dB is a busy city street or a garbage disposal. This is roughly where sustained exposure starts to chew up your hearing over time. 85 is the line workplace-safety folks draw.
• 90 to 100 dB is a lawnmower, a motorcycle or a hair dryer up close.
• 110 dB is a rock concert, a jackhammer or a chainsaw. Minutes here, not hours.
• 120 dB is a jet taking off nearby, or an ambulance siren right next to you. This is the threshold where sound stops being loud and starts becoming pain.
• 130 to 140 dB is a jet engine at close range, or fireworks going off overhead.
Read the full article here