DECIBELS

0 dB: the "threshold of hearing"...or the faintest sound an average person can hear

10 dB: the sound of a pin dropping from one yard away

20 dB: soft whispering...or the hum of a refrigerator

30 dB: the sound level of a library

40 dB: a quiet conversation

50 dB: a teacher speaking to a class in a medium-sized classroom

60 dB: the sound level of a busy office...or a sewing machine

70 dB: a vacuum cleaner...or a blow dryer...or a busy sidewalk

80 dB: a laundromat...or an alarm clock (may appear to be louder on Monday mornings)

90 dB: the volume of a lawn mower. To protect your hearing, you should expose yourself to no more than 8 hours per day of sound at this level (not an excuse to avoid mowing the lawn)

100 dB: a large orchestra playing loudly...or a chainsaw...or a person yelling as loudly as they can, for whatever reason (limit exposure to 2 hours per day at this volume level. And see what's wrong with that person)

110 dB: a rock concert...or a car horn...or a motorcycle...or a jackhammer (no more than 1 hour per day at this level)

120 dB: a car stereo at full blast...or a conversation between teenagers at the next table in the restaurant (maximum of 15 minutes a day at this volume level)

THE FOLLOWING VOLUME LEVELS ARE IN THE "DANGER ZONE" -- AVOID ALL EXPOSURE IF POSSIBLE:

130 dB: loud headphones...or a jet taking off from a few blocks away (physical ear-pain begins at this level)

140 dB: a fire cracker explosion up close

150 dB: an M-80 or cherry bomb explosion up close