Sound Advice

How to protect your hearing.

- Samantha Rideout

ALL SOUNDS LOUDER than roughly85 decibels—from lawnmow-ers to heavy traffic to blaring music—are a threat to your hearing, especially if your exposure is long or repeated. That’s because they can injure or kill hair cells in your inner ear that are involved in sending sound signals to your brain.

The louder the noise, the less time you can be near to its source before it causes damage. Since most of us don’t carry decibel meters around, you can rely instead on this rule of thumb: if you are required to raise your voice to be heard by someone standing an arm’s length away then there’s potential for harm. Ideally, either reduce the noise, leave for a quieter environment or wear protection such as earplugs or safety earmuffs.