Hearing hazards are a part of normal, everyday life. From jackhammers to emergency vehicle sirens, there seems to be loud noises everywhere we turn these days. But how much is too much? And do the threats to our hearing health deserve as much attention at home as they do away from home?
How Much Noise Is Too Much Noise?
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 decibels (dB) can damage your hearing. For those of you living or working in larger cities, be aware that city traffic measures right around 85 dB. Subway trains can reach up to 90 dB, and police and fire sirens measure between 110 dB and 140 dB. You get the picture.
Now that we’ve covered the outdoors, let’s take a look at indoor hearing hazards. Think you’re safe at home? Think again! There are likely many more threats to your hearing health there than you realize. Below are a few to consider.
Most Dangerous Household Items for Your Hearing Health
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Cotton swabs
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Tobacco
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Medications
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Earbuds & Headphones
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Children’s Toys
- Appliances
- Power Tools
Your approach to the volume and variety of household items that can damage your hearing will no doubt be different for each group. When it comes to Q-tips and other small objects you feel compelled to put into your ears, just don’t do it. Same goes for nonessential medications. And smoking isn’t healthy for numerous reasons, so try your best to quit that. Better yet, never start!
In regards to listening to music, just turn down the volume. Listening to loud music all the time will definitely put you at risk of future problems. You want to be able to still listen to the music you love 10 years from now, don’t you?
For all other offending noises, just use a little protection. You can easily wear ear-muffs or earplugs when using any of the appliances and power tools you own. It may not seem like a big deal now, and may even be a bit inconvenient, but trust us: Future You doesn’t want to deal with hearing loss. But then again, who does?
