NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |
Posted: Jul 22, 2015 10:06 AM Updated: Jul 22, 2015 10:06 AM

WAKE UP NORTHWEST- Exposing your ears to extremely loud music or other types of loud noise can really take a toll on your hearing.
Dr. Thompson, a local audiologist tells us in the U.S., 1 in 5 children have hearing loss. That figure is 30% higher than it was 25 years ago.
He says the increased use of headphones play a big role in that number.
"Hearing loss from noise exposure works on a dosage, so there is a safe level that you can be exposed to all day but it's pretty easy with headphones to exceed that level," said Dr. Thompson.
So every time you increase the loudness, the amount of time you can safely be exposed to that noise, goes down. So what is safe? The answer is 85 decibels for 8 hours a day.
But chances are you're not using decibels to measure the noise around you. So here's a good rule of thumb: don't go past 60% of the volume on your device. Also, if others can hear it, it's time to turn it down.