The Risk of Hearing Loss — How to Protect Your Hearing
“Science tells us that exposure to continuous noise of 85 dB for eight hours is enough to cause permanent hearing loss, and worse, spikes of 130 dB and more can result in permanent hearing damage instantly.”
Source: NRA Blog.
The Risk of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be progressive and irreversible. If you are a shooter, this is serious business. As the NRA Blog cautions: “You may not even realize you’re harming your hearing. Hearing loss occurs gradually, and can go effectively unnoticed until symptoms become severe. By then, the damage is done.”
Nobody wants to go deaf. But we often see shooters without effective hearing protection when they are walking around a few yards behind the firing line. That’s bad — even if you are away from the firing line, gunshot noises can damage your hearing. You MUST use effective hearing protection every time you go to the range. Good foam earplugs costs mere pennies but they can prevent deafness in your later years. Many folks also wear muffs over plugs.
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Sound Levels for Common Noises: 9mm Luger pistol: 160 dB Jet aircraft engine (near): 140 dB .22 LR pistol: 134 dB Normal human pain threshold: 120 dB Noisy Nightclub: 110 db Riding Motorcycle at 65 mph: 103 db Power Lawnmower: 95 dB Hearing damage possible: 85 dB (sustained for 8+ hours) Ringing Telephone: 80 dB Normal conversation: 60 dB |
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The Myth of the “Quiet” .22 LR
The NRA Blog notes that “many rimfire shooters, particularly those using the beloved .22 Long Rifle cartridge, argue that the small .22 LR caliber doesn’t produce enough sound to damage your hearing”. So, is that really true … or is it a myth?In fact, a .22 LR can be much louder than you think — a .22 LR pistol can produce sound levels of 134 dB. That’s well above the normal human pain threshhold.
Highest Protection NRR 34dB-Rated Ear Muffs
For under $20.00 you can buy quality ANSI-approved muffs with a 34dB Noise Reduction Rating — the best you can get. Chose the Bright Yellow TR Industrial Muffs at $13.48, or the dark green Walker EXT Range Muffs for $13.99. Both products have padded head-bands which retract. If you prefer “basic black”, consider the $14.85 ClearArmor Muffs, Amazon’s #1 Best Seller among safety earmuffs.
Howard Leight MAX NRR33 Earplugs, Just $7.39 for 50 Pairs.
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20 Pairs | 50 Pairs |
These Howard Leight NRR33 Max plugs are your Editor’s favorite foam earplugs. Between shooting, motorcycling and mowing lawns, I probably have Max plugs in my ears 2-3 days a week. This is a very good price for a bulk pack of 50 pairs. And if you act soon, you can get free shipping to boot.
Similar Posts:
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- Say What? Why You Need Effective Hearing Protection…
- Say What? How to Prevent Serious Hearing Loss
- Why All Shooters Need SERIOUS Hearing Protection
- How Sound Can Hurt Your Hearing and Protection Options
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Tags: dB, decibels, Ear Muffs, Ear Plugs, hearing Protection, Howard Leight, NRR, NRR 34
Then you have the group who tell you you don’t need hearing protection if you put a suppressor on your gun!!!
I understand why we can’t compete with muzzle brakes, they make rifles even louder than they would otherwise be. But I don’t understand why the NRA rules prohibit sound suppressors. If a shooter accepts the weight and cost for a device that reduces hearing damage, what’s wrong with that?
According to this article a 22 LR pistol produces 134 DB and the best hearing protection is 34db. So 132-34=100 db which is above 85db. So eight hours of contentious shooting a 22LR even with hearing protection will cause permanent hearing damage. This is why the hearing protection act is a safety necessity.
EDITOR: Yes a .22 LR pPistol is loud enough that you should always wear hearing protection. However, when looking at the risk of hearing loss — the issue is sonic exposure TIME and peak sound levels. 100 decibels of continuous jet engine noise is NOT the same as 100 dB of a gunshot every few seconds. That said, if you were at a range with continuous fire by multiple .22 LR rifles and pistols… you should worry. We do agree that suppressors should be allowed, and we support the Hearing Protection Act.
Suppressors will help, mostly hunters. In most hunting situations only a few shots are ever fired. Most hunters eschew hearing protection while hunting, preferring to be able to hear ambient sounds. Suppressors will help these people because they decrease the unmuffled report of the firearm.
Anyone doing a more extensive amount of shooting, or who is subject to loud noises – range employees, factory workers, race car crew, etc.- should wear protection.
As is pointed out above, a noise reduction of 34 Db does not make the environment safe. My suggestion, and the preference of many professional shooters like Jerry Miculek, is to double up on protection. Foam plugs provide about 30 Db of protection and muffs about another 30 Db.
As the editor points out, the problem is exposure. Single loud sounds can cause damage, a long period of exposure can exacerbate the damage.
EDITOR: All good points made here by Jim. “Doubling up” with plugs and muffs will definitely help. However, you can’t simply add the noise ratings to get a total protection rating. Meaning 30 dB NRR muffs over 30 dB NRR plugs does NOT give you 60 dB of protection. But there IS a significant benefit to running both…
I just found out how bad my hearing is, I am 50 and am a commercial pilot and an avid shooter, I have always used hearing protection and still have a 50% loss in hearing. The Dr. Audiologis said that hearing protecton helps delay loss but, BONE CONDUCTION cannot be stopped and NO MATTER WHAT! You will lose your hearing.