Which is louder, a blow dryer or a vacuum cleaner? A rock concert or a movie theater? Take our quiz and find out.
Put the following in order, with the loudest at the end of the list (answers at the bottom of the screen – no peeking!):Blow dryer
Rock concert
Sporting event
Lawn & yard equipment
Movie theater
Airplane cabin
Vacuum cleaner
Nightclub
Aerobics class
Actually, everything on this list can be loud enough to potentially damage your hearing with repeat exposure. Anything 100 decibels (your morning shower is about 70 decibels) or louder should be avoided whenever possible.
Wearing earplugs can cut the volume by about 20 decibels, so pick up some of the inexpensive foam kind next time you’re at the drugstore; they work just fine.
And watch the volume on those MP3 players—yours and your kids’. We tested some of the players marketed to kids (the Disney Mix Stick, the Mattel Barbie Girls, and the SanDisk Sansa Shaker) and found that when played at max volume, all were loud enough to pose a risk of hearing damage if kids listen too long. Try to limit listening to 90 minutes a day and don’t max out the volume—no matter what your age.
QUIZ ANSWERS:
In order, from softest to loudest
Vacuum cleaner = 60 to 90 decibels
Airplane cabin = 72 to 86 decibels
Movie theater = 72 to 104 decibels
Blow dryer = 77 to 92 decibels
Aerobics class = 78 to 106 decibels
Lawn & yard equipment = 86 to 99 decibels
Sporting event = 89 to 115 decibels
Rock concert = 89 to 120 decibels
Nightclub = 95 to 107 decibels
Find more smart ways to protect your hearing in the October issue of ShopSmart.
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