I was looking around trying to find information on
Noise Pollution and came across a website that lists decibel levels for different sounds.
Here is a partial list for comparison:
Decibel Levels of Daily Noises
NIOSH has compiled a list of the decibel measurements (dBA) for common noises you might be exposed to each day at home, work or during recreational
activities. A decibel is a unit that expresses intensity or power. See what your exposure is to unsafe noises with some of the following examples:
Home:
* 50 dBA - Refrigerator
* 50-80 dBA – Electric shaver
* 50-80 dBA – Electric shaver
* 60-95 dBA – Hair dryer
* 75-85 dBA – Flushed toilet
* 80 dBA – Ringing phone
* 110 dBA – Crying baby
* 135 dBA – Noisy squeeze toys
Work:
* 40 dBA – Quiet office/ library
* 65-95 dBA – Power lawnmower
* 90-115 dBA – Subway
* 105 dBA – Snow blower
* 120 dBA – Ambulance
* 140 dBA – Airplane take-off
* 180 dBA – Rocket launching from pad
SOURCE:
davidvaldez.blogspot.com...
Question: Which sound has greater potential to damage your hearing - a baby's cry or a jackhammer? If you answered the former, a baby's cry, you
were right, according to information provided by a representative of the Center for Hearing and Health.
At 115 decibels, the sound of a baby's cry can begin to cause hearing damage to a person next to a child after just 15 minutes, reported Dorie
Watkins, an industrial audiologist for the Center for Hearing Health. The jackhammer doesn't quite measure up, measuring "only" 105 decibels, she
noted; but that level of sound also can cause damage to the inner ear after one hour, according to medical and science standards.
Here is an excerpt from a website that discusses Noise pollution in Georgia:
Noise Pollution
Subjected to 45 decibels of noise, the average person cannot sleep. At 120 decibels the ear registers pain, but hearing damage begins at a much lower
level, about 85 decibels. The duration of the exposure is also important. Apart from hearing loss, such noise can cause lack of sleep, irritability,
heartburn, indigestion, ulcers, high blood pressure, and possibly heart disease. One burst of noise, as from a passing truck, is known to alter
endocrine, neurological, and cardiovascular functions in many individuals; prolonged or frequent exposure to such noise tends to make the
physiological disturbances chronic. In addition, noise-induced stress creates severe tension in daily living and contributes to mental
illness.
SOURCE:
www.kingswoodathens.com...
Now, we can see that babies cry at an average of 110dBA. And we see that hearing damage starts at 85 dBA. So, a crying baby is a source of damaging
Noise pollution. I wonder what the laws are in Georgia and if it would be possible to FINE the parents of screaming/crying children. THAT would be a
huge deterrent that would cause parents to be attentive and parental.
[edit on 2-9-2009 by Aggie Man]