What are the safe levels of sound a human can be exposed to?

Answer 1

What you are asking has not only to do with the level. Music you like and you listen to may be much louder than the ugly music your neighbor is playing. Music of others are always much too loud. And then we have music that differs from noise. Music up to 85 dBA may be comfortable. Noise of more than 60 dBA be be annoying. What is the threshold of pain?

You can find the following rounded values in various scientific articles:

Sound pressure level Lp and sound pressure p in pascals:

120 dB - - - 20 Pa

130 dB - - - 63 Pa

134 dB - - -100 Pa

137.5 dB - -150 Pa

140 dB - - - 200 Pa

Answer 2

The US agency OSHA sets guidelines for workplaces that limit the intensity of sounds and their duration. A very loud sound (over 130 decibels) will cause pain. A lower volume (115 to 120 db) can damage human hearing organs almost immediately. Even lower levels, from 85 to 100 decibels, may cause injury with prolonged exposure. Sounds above 75 db can disrupt concentration or sleep (this is equal to a phone dial tone or city traffic).

It should be noted that much "heavy metal Rock Music" is amplified to a volume (over 120 decibels, up to 150 decibels) that is considered injurious, possibly causing hearing loss over time.

Answer 3

The safe levels of sound exposure for humans are typically considered to be below 85 decibels for extended periods of time. Prolonged exposure to sounds above this level can cause hearing damage. For short durations, sounds up to 120 decibels are considered safe, but anything above that can cause immediate harm to hearing.