Spring has rolled in and summer will soon be upon us as well. This means the packing of winter clothes, arrival of spring blooms, planting of gardens and abundance of outdoor activities! While enjoying spring as it melts into summer, you should also be mindful of noises that go with outdoor activities and can be damaging to your hearing. Here are some common outdoor noise hazards and how you can protect yourself from permanent noise-induced hearing loss while still enjoying everything the spring and summer seasons have to offer:
Mowing the lawn
Many people don’t realize it, but lawnmowers can be as loud as 100 decibels! Make sure to wear earplugs or earmuffs while mowing your lawn to protect your precious hearing.
Outdoor concerts
Spring and summer are popular times for outdoor concerts. However, sitting in the front row of a rock concert can expose you to 110 decibel sounds! Even people toward the back of the show can be exposed to sounds much louder than 85 decibels due to the provision of outdoor speakers. Make sure to bring earplugs, to move away from loudspeakers and to give your ears frequent breaks by leaving the area while taking in an outdoor concert.
Thunderstorms
Spring heralds in thunderstorms in many parts of the U.S. While they can sometimes be pretty, thunderstorms also can be as loud as 120 decibels. Thus, for this and other obvious safety reasons, it’s important to experience them from indoors.
Fireworks
Many people’s favorite part of summer is the prevalence of firework displays. However, fireworks can be incredibly damaging to your hearing. At even 800 feet away, fireworks can be as loud as 126 decibels, and the danger increases exponentially as you move closer to the source: they can produce as many as 155 decibels when one is about 10 feet away. Thankfully, we enjoy fireworks for their beautiful colors, not for the noises they make, so you’ll lose nothing and protect your hearing in the process by outfitting yourself with earplug, earmuffs or other protective devices before you set off fireworks or watch them light up the night sky.
Air shows
Air shows are another popular summer event, during which planes of various types and sizes perform remarkable stunts. However, air shows can cause irreversible damage to one’s hearing, making sounds up to a whopping 180 decibels! Make sure to bring earplugs or earmuffs to enjoy an air show this summer.
