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Can a sound kill you?
The decibel (abbreviated to dB) this is a unit that is used in the measurement of sound. They are much like a percentage in that they are dimensionless.
I have been reading about the sound levels on iPhone and other MP3 devices for a while now, but recently it only just hit me as to how dangerous some of the sounds in our every day lives are. Scientists are now saying that the volume at which kids play music is making a population of potentially deaf adults.
Another shocking possibility is the creation of “acoustic weapons” these weapons would attack the enemy with a sound wave of the same equivalent as a 5.0 Richter earth quake at over 200 decibels. This noise from this weapon would literally turn the enemy into a puking blood bag.
Because i found the fact that something we see as so harmless, can be turned into something so horrific incredibly interesting. This drove me to make a list of things that if listened to regularly could cause us to go deaf very quickly, or loud enough that it would actually turn our bodies into pulverised jelly. I have listed them in order of how dangerous they are you your health, listen carefully and enjoy.
Normal conversation – 70dB
Telephone dial tone – 80dB
City Traffic (inside car) – 85dB
Howler Monkey Screams – 88 dB
Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss
Subway train travelling at 200 MPH – 95dB
Fire Alarm – 95dB
Motorcycle – 100dB
Lawn mower – 107dB
Power saw – 110dB
Car horn – 110dB
Loud Rock Concert – 115dB
The Cicada – 120dB
Ear pain begins
Pneumatic riveter – 125dB
Vuvuzela – 127 dB (against your ear)
iphone, ipod & other MP3’s – 80dB and 130dB
Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage – Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection
Jet Engine – 140dB
Gun Blast – 140 dB
Fireworks – 145dB
NHRA Dragsters – 155dB
Eardrum rupture is now a real possibility
Space Shuttle Launch – 170dB
Death of hearing tissue starts to occur
Volcano – Krakatoa – 180 dB
The Blue Whale – 188 dB (underwater)
Lung rupture and presumably embolism due to air blast occur at 200 decibels
1-Ton TNT Bomb – 210 dB
5.0 Richter Earth Quake – 235dB
Tunguska Meteor – 315dB
So yes sounds of over 300dB would literally shake you apart, so turn that volume down people.
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Better be more careful =)
really dangerous……. ears are one of our sense organ,so they are too important,take care people.
Great great article, and I totally respect what your saying as i’m a musician and Sound Engineer. I think what people dont respect the close proximity of soundwaves to the ear drum and what the ear drum actually protects. I personally have a level of tinnitus due to my exposure to live sound enviroments without respecting the danger of music play at high levels.
However I must say the prospect of Acoustic weapons made me laugh (no offense), as i am I’m yet to see speakers that could easily handle anywhere close to the 200dB required for any sustained acoustic assault. I know I and friends have broke speakers with sustained bass at 70-80dB. Bass in todays enviroment with genres like Drum n Bass and dubstep with their heavy bass focus are more deadly than a sound bomb, I know I can recall stories of inducing heart stoppages due the frequencies created from synthetic bass. All it takes for a for the same frequency as your heart to penetrate and literally make it try and beat to a different drum.
Great post.
Edwin´s last [type] ..Inside Batman Arkham City AKA Arkham Asylum 2
[...] had the power to kill?! I know if a sound is loud enough it will kill you (interesting info here: Sounds That Can Kill You ). The video is amazing and was actually banned from the UK TV chart show Top of the Pops since it [...]
Although of interest, the British military have been testing weapons that use sub bass for a few years, which although not loud in the sense of decibels, the bass is of such a low frequency, it can set your stomach into a catestrophic state that death occurs fairly quickly. I suggest you google scientific papers on Sub Bass.