CHEARS: Conservation of Hearing Study
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    • About the CHEARS Study
    • Background on the Hearing Study Supplemental Questionnaire
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  • Audiology Assessment Arm
    • About the CHEARS Test Sites >
      • Montefiore Medical Center
      • Callier Center for Communication Disorders
      • Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center
      • Columbia University Medical Center
      • Henry Ford Hospital
      • Indiana University at Indianapolis
      • LIJ Hearing and Speech Center
      • Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
      • New Haven - Southern New England ENT (formerly Yale Unviersity)
      • Phelps Memorial Hospital Center
      • San Diego Hearing Center
      • St. Louis University Medical Center
      • Stanford Hospital and Clinics
      • University of California - Irvine
      • University of Cincinnati
      • University of Michigan
      • University of Pennsylvania
      • University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
      • University of Rochester
    • Description of CHEARS Hearing Assessment
    • Interpreting your CHEARS data form
    • What are Decibel Levels?
    • Links to additional information
    • AAA Participant FAQs
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What are Decibel Levels?

Decibels (dB) are used to measure how loud sounds are. A higher decibel number indicates a louder sound - for example, a lawnmower at 90 dB is significantly louder than someone whispering a 30 dB. As part of the audiology exam, the audiologist measured the softest sounds that you could hear at various frequencies (pitches). 


Decibel Levels of Common Sounds:

20 dB: Ticking watch
30 dB: Whisper
40 dB: Refrigerator hum
50 dB: Rainfall
60 dB: Normal conversation, dishwasher, sewing machine
70 dB: Vacuum cleaner, washing machine
80 dB: Subway, busy street, alarm clock (two feet away)
85 dB: Average traffic
90 dB: Lawnmower
95 dB: MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
100 dB: Chainsaw, snowmobile, blow dryer, subway train
110 dB: Screaming child
120 dB: Rock concert, thunderclap
130 dB: Jackhammer
140 dB: Gunfire, jet engine
150 dB: Rock music (peak)


Sources:  American Tinnitus Association (http://www.ata.org/for-patients/how-loud-too-loud) and California Ear Institute website (http://www.californiaearinstitute.com/audiology-services-audiogram-bay-area-ca.php)

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