How Loud Is Too Loud?

Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by a combination of volume and duration. Damage starts to occur after 85 decibels, and for every three-decibel increase, the amount of time you can be safely exposed (without earplugs) decreases by half. Keep in mind that the time limit is your total for the entire day; any more within a 24-hour period can do harm.

Source	Traffic	Airplane cabin	Crying baby	Power lawn mower	Concert or sport event	Motorcycle revving	Car stereo at full volume
Decibels	70	80	90	105	110	120	140
Safe Time	Unlimited	Unlimited	90 minutes	2.8 minutes	45 seconds	5.6 seconds	0 seconds

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