Hearing protection

Loud sound can kill the ear's hair cells, which never grow back in humans, so hearing loss from noise is permanent but preventable. Loudness is measured in decibels (dB): a conversation is about 60 to 70 dB, a concert about 94 to 110. Harm depends on how loud and how long: WHO puts 80 dB as safe for up to 40 hours a week. Keep headphones at no more than 60% volume, take breaks, and use earplugs in noisy places.

Watch · Depth 1 · 74 sLoud, and for how longAfter a concert the world sounds muffled and your ears ring, and by the next day it has gone. Was it harmless? How loud is too loud, why the hair cells in your ears never grow back, and how long is safe.