

It measures differences between 2 values progressively. In fact, many of the electronic devices we regularly use reach 60-80 dB.īecause of this, it’s a good idea to use a sound level meter or a sound level meter app to monitor the noise you are exposed to daily if you want to prevent hearing damage from sustained exposure to loud sounds.

There’s no better way to understand how loud 80 dB is than to take examples from everyday life. Being loud, it is a noise level that may harm your hearing if you are exposed to it for longer periods (more than 8-10 hours/day). It’s equivalent to the noise of a busy downtown street. How Loud Is 80 Decibels: Examples of the Sound in Everyday LifeĨ0 decibels is fairly loud. It runs from 0 dB (the threshold of hearing) up to 130 dB (the threshold of pain that can cause instant hearing loss).Ĩ0 decibels is a moderately high noise level, close to the limit of 85 dB considered by official organizations like NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to be the maximum TWA (time-weighted average) limit humans should be exposed to for periods exceeding 8 hours/day.Įxposure to noise levels above 85 dB is considered harmful for human hearing and hearing protection is recommended whenever sound levels exceed this limit. The decibel scale is used for measuring sounds that are hearable to the human ear. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at how loud is 80 decibels, and examples of this noise level to understand if exposure to 80 dB is safe for our hearing or not. How Far Away Can This Sound Level Be Heard?īecause the decibel scale can sometimes be confusing, understanding different levels of noise is easier when we look at everyday sounds.

How Loud Is 80 Decibels: Examples of the Sound in Everyday Life.
