Occupational noise limits fail to protect recreational hearing enjoyment

Evidence

Each of us is responsible for our own hearing, but in life unexpected things happen. Many of us have lived portions of our lives without being conscious of the real risks to hearing and the consequences of hearing loss. Occupational noise exposure limits are not sufficient for anyone who wants to enjoy the full panorama of music and movie sound, and to be able to carry on a conversation around a table in a crowded restaurant or at a party. We all need to be somewhat obsessive about avoiding pointless loud sounds so we can enjoy the rewarding ones. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1918

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: what are the actual official occupational noise exposure limits and their dB thresholds versus the levels needed to preserve near-normal high-frequency hearing?
• ADDENDUM: Complements the general theme that noise damage is cumulative and under-appreciated, running parallel to the quieter-is-better theme threaded through the reader’s other selections.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1918
• XREF: connects to: Occupational hearing-conservation guidelines fail to protect audio engineers’ ears — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1249; Audio mixers’ occupational hearing loss can impair their sound-quality judgments — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1246; Good noise isolation reduces preferred playback levels and hearing damage (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Occupational hearing-conservation guidelines fail to protect audio engineers’ ears #expands (0.92) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1249
• Audio mixers’ occupational hearing loss can impair their sound-quality judgments #expands (0.80) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1246
• High ambient noise forces listeners to raise volume toward hearing-loss levels #corroborates (0.78) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2562
• Good noise isolation reduces preferred playback levels and hearing damage #corroborates (0.74)
• Raising volume to overcome noise leads to discomfort and hearing damage #corroborates (0.74)
• Excessive noise causes widespread hearing damage and tinnitus in the US population #expands (0.72) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 357