|
Noise Source |
Decibel Level |
Decibel Effect |
|
Jet take-off (at 25 meters) |
150 |
Eardrum rupture |
|
Aircraft carrier deck |
140 |
|
|
Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft (130 dB). |
130 |
|
|
Thunderclap, chain saw. Oxygen torch (121 dB). |
120 |
Painful. 32 times as loud as 70 dB. |
|
Steel mill, auto horn at 1 meter. Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft (118 dB). Riveting machine (110 dB); live rock music (108 - 114 dB). |
110 |
Average human pain threshold. 16 times as loud as 70 dB. |
|
Jet take-off (at 305 meters), use of outboard motor, power lawn mower, motorcycle, farm tractor, jackhammer, garbage truck. Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (106 dB); jet flyover at 1000 feet (103 dB); Bell J-2A helicopter at 100 ft (100 dB). |
100 |
8 times as loud as 70 dB. Serious damage possible in 8 hr exposure. |
|
Boeing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (97 dB); power mower (96 dB); motorcycle at 25 ft (90 dB). Newspaper press (97 dB). |
90 |
4 times as loud as 70 dB. Likely damage in 8 hour exposure. |
|
Garbage disposal, dishwasher, average factory, freight train (at 15 meters). Car wash at 20 ft (89 dB); propeller plane flyover at 1000 ft (88 dB); diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft (84 dB); diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft (83 dB). Food blender (88 dB); milling machine (85 dB); garbage disposal (80 dB). |
80 |
2 times as loud as 70 dB. Possible damage in 8 hour exposure. |
|
Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB). Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB). |
70 |
Arbitrary base of comparison. Upper 70s are annoyingly loud to some people. |
|
Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 feet. |
60 |
Half as loud as 70 dB. Fairly quiet. |
|
Quiet suburb, conversation at home. Large electrical transformers at 100 feet. |
50 |
One-fourth as loud as 70 dB. |
|
Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound |
40 |
One-eighth as loud as 70 dB. |
|
Quiet rural area. |
30 |
One-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB. Very Quiet. |
|
Whisper, rustling leaves |
20 |
|
|
Breathing |
10 |
Barely audible |
A MUST SEE video (Dangerous companions, 51 minutes) with Kevin Richardson can be found here (scroll down to 2nd vid):
http://landofpuregold.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/great-films-from-the-lion-whisperer/
His official homepage is here:
http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za/