How loud is too loud?

Volume quantifies the energy of a sound and is measured at its source. A loud sound will have more energy and will travel further than a quiet sound.

The human ear comprises a complex set of structures that perceive sound waves and transmit these signals to the brain. However, these structures are delicate and can be damaged. Prolonged exposure to loud sounds, or brief exposure to very loud sounds can damage the cells in your ears, potentially resulting in temporary or permanent hearing loss.

The following activity will help students understand sound volume and the potential harm it can cause.

Materials

Estimated time

10 minutes

Instructions

  1. Print the 12 sound cards, or create your own. Each item should be on its own card or sheet of paper.
  2. Hand them out to students. 
  3. The class will work together to rank the sounds based on their volume. The students holding sound cards will line up at the front of the class from quietest to loudest.
  4. Once the order is decided, the class will work together to determine which sounds fall within the safe hearing range, and which fall within the danger hearing range.

What is happening?

We can hear sounds of different volumes. While it can be difficult to hear the quietest sounds, such as breathing, loud sounds can be painful and even dangerous to our ears.

DecibelsDescriptionExamplesZones
0 dBSmallest audible sound; near silenceSafe
10 dBbreathSafe
20 dBFaint soundrustle of leavessafe
30 dBwhispersafe
40 dBQuiet soundrefrigeratorsafe
50 dBrainsafe
60 dBchatsafe
70 dBcarsafe
80 dBLoud soundtrucksafe
90 dBhair dryerpolicy action
100 dBhelicopterpolicy action
110 dBVery loud soundtrombonepolicy action
120 dBpolice sirendanger
130 dBPain beginsjet enginedanger
140 dBShort exposure can cause long-term damagefireworkdanger

Wrap-up questions

  • What can you do to protect your hearing?

Why it’s important

Similar to humans, loud sounds can impact animal hearing. In the ocean, many species rely on sound, therefore loud anthropogenic noises may cause hearing impairment and negatively impact their ability to survive.