digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Wear hearing protection, such as earplugs, earmuffs, or custom protection, whenever you are near loud fireworks, especially with children. According to Dr. Kimberly Chesney, an Intermountain Medical Center audiologist, fireworks can exceed 140 decibels and can damage hearing within minutes or even seconds.
Key Points
- Fireworks can reach 140 decibels or louder, which is louder than a jet engine at about 120 decibels.
- Normal conversation is about 60 to 65 decibels, and fireworks well exceed the levels of blenders, lawnmowers, headphones at full volume, and power saws.
- Hearing damage from fireworks is preventable, and the closer you are, the greater the risk.
- Children are more susceptible to hearing damage because their skull bones are not fully fused, so they feel sound pressure more than adults do.
- Loudness and duration both matter: the louder the sound, the less time you should spend near it.
Details Worth Noting
Concrete instructions:
- Use hearing protection that is comfortable and fits well, such as earplugs, earphone-style muffs, or custom hearing protection. Either earplugs or earmuffs are acceptable.
- Keep a safe distance from fireworks displays.
- Make sure children wear hearing protection, since they are at higher risk of damage.
- Protect your ears if you have to raise your voice to be heard, which is a sign the sound may be too loud.
- Take duration into account: the louder the sound, the shorter the time you should stay near it. The speaker suggested something like 15 minutes of loud noise above average as a point where ears should definitely be protected.
- Setting off fireworks yourself is illegal in some places, which increases exposure risk.
- Fireworks are an explosion, and the damage can occur within minutes if not seconds, especially up close.
Bottom Line
Protecting your hearing at July fireworks is simple: use comfortable hearing protection, especially for kids, and move back or leave when the sound is loud enough to make you raise your voice.
