Sounds above 100 dBA are tolerable for under half an hour

Evidence

Figure 2.20 shows how the time of exposure varies with the sound level on linear and logarithmic timescales for the second action level in Europe. It can be seen that exposure to extreme sound levels, greater than 100 dBA, can only be tolerated for a very short period of time, less than half an hour. There is also a limit to how far this concept can be taken because very loud sounds can rupture the eardrum causing instant, and sometimes permanent, loss of hearing. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 675

Categorization

• CANDY: A memorable anchor point: beyond 100 dBA even the half-hour allowance breaks down.
• XREF: connects to: Noise above 85-90 dBA causes permanent hearing damage — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 678; Sound peaks above 130 dB can damage hearing instantly; New York subway platform noise routinely exceeds safety thresholds within half an hour — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 39

Broader Connections

• Noise above 85-90 dBA causes permanent hearing damage #complicates (0.80) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 678
• Sound peaks above 130 dB can damage hearing instantly #expands (0.80)
• New York subway platform noise routinely exceeds safety thresholds within half an hour #exemplifies (0.72) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 39