City noise causing hearing problems?

[trainbufftony]

I recently damaged my hearing and I think I know why was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same thing so here is the story. I live on a quiet mountain in northern California. I went down to the city on Tuesday night to retrieve a collection of audio tubes and on my way back I remember thinking to myself WOW this place is loud. (Freemont California) shortly after this a guy flew by on a Harley lane splitting and i knew he was loud but i could still hear all the city noise ABOVE THE HARLEY! I got home alive thankfully and when i got to my mountain I realized My ears have a pretty serious ring in them. Has anyone else experienced hearing damage simply from being in the city? Could a constant 150db of noise be linked to insanity in long term studies? I have damaged my hearing too much in the past should I wear ear protection to the city? Is it legal to drive with ear protection? I have more questions than answers at this point. Is this on topic for this forum?

[generic]

I don't work in the medical field, but I've read up on this subject a lot because I want to preserve my hearing so I can enjoy this hobby for a long time.

I really doubt you permanently damaged your hearing from one trip to the city. Ears can get tired, literally tired and the hairs can get fatigued and not work as well. This doesn't mean you have permanent damage. Things should go back to normal after a day or two.

I know how loud bikes can get, and if you were right next to one with the window down, I'd imagine it could have hurt.

As far as legally driving with ear plugs, you would need to check your state laws. Because they cut decibels and not all sound, maybe. I know headphones are not legal, but I've never thought about ear plugs....

[fastbike1]

The city noise wasn't 150dB. That's pistol shot levels.

General city traffic noise is typically around 85db.

[billfitzmaurice]

Could a constant 150db of noise be linked to insanity in long term studies?

It would be linked to deafness, in a very short term study, as in less than 24 hours. Even very loud city streets will seldom reach more than 85dB save for that occasional idiot with loud pipes. People who live in cities don't suffer from hearing damage, so whatever irritation you might have suffered was related to previous damage. You can wear earplugs of the type musicians wear to reduce sound levels while still allowing you to hear.

[trainbufftony]

I was joking about the 150db thing but 85db is loud! The thing about the bike is that it was obviously loud because I could feel it in my chest as he roared by. It did not really make much of a change in the overall volume level of my surroundings which is what is disturbing. Cement trucks, Air compressors, Diesel Generators, hundreds of cars, airplanes, Jackhammers, it all blended in to be just one huge noise! I am really glad to be back home in the mountains where I can listen to music and not compete with the black hole of random noise! Good thing is that my ringing has quieted down as it usually does.

[r-carpenter]

It would be linked to deafness, in a very short term study, as in less than 24 hours. Even very loud city streets will seldom reach more than 85dB save for that occasional idiot with loud pipes.

unless an ambulance blows by you at 75mph with sirens blaring. It can get, I'd guess easily to 105db.

[Whitneyville1]

Some "straight-thru" pipes on some bikes can reach 110dBA at 1 meter from the tips. Big twin cycles are mostly relatively low compression so they "boom" but really don't make the most noise in absolute dB. Living in a quiet environment then experiencing a "normal" one can cause the symptoms your describe. I have a second cousin once-removed who was on a Will Rogers Class spy-sub. They are so quiet to quote Verdan "We can hear a shrimp f*rt 200 miles away". For several weeks after porting, the crew wore ear-plugs to keep from getting sick at their stomachs from the "extreme noise". I understand this is one of the many problems the astronauts on the Int'l Space Station have to deal with too, besides being "jellyfish" for 6-12 weeks.

[Mark65]

Since when is Fremont "The Big City"?

I advise you to never approach L.A., New York, Detroit, Boston, etc....oh, and stay the hell away from SF proper!



Mark

[djg]

Loud pipes save lives. But not ears. I blame my hearing loss on the loud exhausts I used to like on my motorcycles, plus airplane noise.