Noise damage accumulates as an integrated dose where loudness trades against duration

Evidence

As usual, we call the value we require “specific loudness” with the symbol N’. Loudness, N, is then the integral of specific loudness over critical-band rate (see Fig. 8.16 lower right) or in mathematical expression: 1 24 Bark N= N’dz, o where the integral is taken over all critical-band rates. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1250 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Repeated loud exposures convert temporary hearing loss into permanent damage — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1876; Noise combines measurable harm with subjective disturbance; Leq integrates squared pressure over time to estimate noise exposure (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Total loudness is the integral of specific loudness over critical-band rate #expands (0.95) — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1250
• Loud music damages cochlear structures in distinct ways producing distinct perceptual deficits #expands (0.80)
• Noise damage degrades frequency separation more severely than sensitivity #qualifies (0.75)
• High ambient noise forces listeners to raise volume toward hearing-loss levels #complicates (0.70) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2562