Noise Charts as It Relates to Hearing Damage

Fun hearing facts collected from a variety of sources...

Environmental Noise
Weakest sound heard	0dB
Whisper Quiet Library at 6'	30dB
Normal conversation at 3'	60-65dB
Telephone dial tone	80dB
City Traffic (inside car)	85dB
Train whistle at 500', Truck Traffic	90dB
Jackhammer at 50'	95dB
Subway train at 200'	95dB
Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss	90 - 95dB
Hand Drill	98dB
Power mower at 3'	107dB
Snowmobile, Motorcycle	100dB
Power saw at 3'	110dB
Sandblasting, Loud Rock Concert	115dB
Pain begins	125dB
Pneumatic riveter at 4'	125dB
Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage - Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection	140dB
Jet engine at 100'	140dB
12 Gauge Shotgun Blast	165dB
Death of hearing tissue	180dB
Loudest sound possible	194dB

OSHA Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure
Hours per day	Sound level
8	90dB
6	92dB
4	95dB
3	97dB
2	100dB
1.5	102dB
1	105dB
.5	110dB
.25 or less	115dB

Perceptions of Increases in Decibel Level
Imperceptible Change	1dB
Barely Perceptible Change	3dB
Clearly Noticeable Change	5dB
About Twice as Loud	10dB
About Four Times as Loud	20dB

Sound Levels Found in Music
Normal piano practice	60 -70dB
Fortissimo Singer, 3'	70dB
Chamber music, small auditorium	75 - 85dB
Piano Fortissimo	84 - 103dB
Violin	82 - 92dB
Cello	85 -111dB
Oboe	95-112dB
Flute	92 -103dB
Piccolo	90 -106dB
Clarinet	85 - 114dB
French horn	90 - 106dB
Trombone	85 - 114dB
Tympani and bass drum	106dB
Walkman on 5/10	94dB
Symphonic music peak	120 - 137dB
Amplifier, rock, 4-6'	120dB
Rock music peak	150dB

Sources:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)


Binge Listening: Is exposure to leisure noise causing hearing loss in young Australians? [pdf] – Australian Hearing, National Acoustic Laboratories

Occupational Noise Exposure. OSHA

Another Rock Singer With Injured Voice

On Sept 16, 2011, the Stone Temple Pilots had to cancel their tour because their lead singer Scott Weiland was placed on voice rest due to damaged vocal cords at risk for permanent damage. Specifically, the doctors at University of Cincinnati Voice Health Center determined that he had scarring on his left vocal cord and a tremendously inflamed right vocal cord.

The left vocal cord scarring is likely from past vocal trauma that did not heal properly and is now permanently damaged whereas the right vocal cord is at risk of also becoming permanently damaged if not aggressively managed. The picture shown here is an example with inflammation involving both vocal cords. Compare this with the picture below which shows one normal vocal cord and one inflamed vocal cord.

Without further information, beyond voice rest to allow the vocal cord inflammation to resolve without further injury, treatment may also include steroids as well as reflux medication.

It seems to be a continuing trend for singers of all genres to be pushed to the point where their vocal cords get injured resulting in show cancellations and at worst, become a one-hit wonder.

Other singers THIS YEAR alone who have cancelled tours due to voice injury include Kings of Leon, Duran Duran, Adele, The Vaccines, etc

And it's not just rockers, but also opera singers.

If you are a singer and you don't have a voice coach and supportive management, you need to remedy this immediately or you risk having a career that's a one-hit wonder.

Welding a Cut Nerve Together Using a Laser

Although preliminary, researchers have successfully "welded" a cut nerve together using a laser rather than traditional suture repair.

When a nerve is cut, the only way to allow potential for the nerve to regain function is to bring the cut edges together and hope nerve regeneration crosses over. Traditionally, this was pain-stakingly accomplished under the microscope using sutures as thin as a human hair.

Using the rabbit facial nerve, researchers used a laser to weld the cut nerve edges together rather than using sutures and demonstrated a trend towards superior outcomes. Not only was the outcome better, it was way easier and faster to perform.

This new technique has tremendous application in ENT surgery, but can also apply to any surgery where nerves can get damaged or cut... vocal cord paralysis from thyroid surgery (recurrent laryngeal nerve), unable to lift shoulder from neck dissection (accessory nerve), facial paralysis from parotid gland tumor resection (facial nerve), etc, etc.

Reference:
Laser Facial Nerve Welding in a Rabbit Model. Arch Facial Plast Surg. Published online August 15, 2011. doi: 10.1001/archfacial.2011.61