Hear today, gone tomorrow
Which would you rather hear: some friendly chat down the pub? Mellifluous birdsong? The soothing voice of a loved-one? Or the incessant squeal of tinnitus? I know which one ranks bottom of my list.
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just competitive shots feeding high volumes of lead through their barrels who need ear protection. Unless we choose to do something about it, hearing loss isn’t a risk but a reality, even for those who shoot infrequently.
How loud is too loud?
Firearms are incredibly loud. Shotguns will typically register in the region of 150 decibels (dB) or more, while full-bore rifles are louder still. For context, let’s look at some comparison figures published by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
Zero dB is the quietest sound a healthy human can hear; 60dB is an ordinary spoken conversation; 85dB is the volume of a food blender; a pneumatic drill registers 91dB and 140dB is the level at which noise causes pain.
