Digital decibel sign in Shanghai, China
photos and video attached ~
One question I often get from Americans: Is China noisy? Is it noisier than living in the states?
I am amazed that even though I live in midtown Zhuhai, a city of 1 million plus residents, it is very quiet. The only sound I am hearing when the sun comes up is the rooster that lives a couple of blocks away!
As I am out and about, I see no TV monitors in waiting rooms. There are no TVs playing annoying talk shows in hospitals. There are no monitors playing loud music and commercials at gas stations or on buses. There is no Muzak playing in restaurants. One can actually have a conversation with friends, the main reason I dine out. There are large numbers of people just about everywhere I go, but comparatively speaking I experience a more quiet environment than in the states.
We often talk about keeping our voices healthy. But, we forget that this includes protecting our hearing too. Surely, all this constant over-stimulation elevates our blood pressure and causes many other unhealthy responses. For now, let’s stick to how this noise can bring about hearing loss . . .
Any sound above 85 dB (decibels) can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. If you have to raise your voice to be heard by somebody else you are listening to at least an 85-dB sound.
Eight hours of 90-dB sound can cause damage to your ears; any exposure to 140-dB sound causes immediate damage (and causes actual pain).
Environmental Noise
Whisper Quiet Library 30dB
Normal conversation at 3′ 60-65dB
City traffic (inside car) 85dB
Jackhammer, 50′ 95dB
Subway train, 200′ 95dB
Power mower, 3′ 107dB
Rock concert 115dB
| Sound Levels of Music | |
| Normal piano practice | 60 -70dB |
| Fortissimo Singer, 3′ | 70dB |
| Chamber music, small auditorium | 75 – 85dB |
| Piano Fortissimo | 84 – 103dB |
| Violin | 82 – 92dB |
| Cello | 85 -111dB |
| Oboe | 95-112dB |
| Flute | 92 -103dB |
| Piccolo | 90 -106dB |
| Clarinet | 85 – 114dB |
| French horn | 90 – 106dB |
| Trombone | 85 – 114dB |
| Tympani & bass drum | 106dB |
| Walkman on 5/10 | 94dB |
| Symphonic music peak | 120 – 137dB |
| Amplifier, rock, 4-6′ | 120dB |
| Rock music peak | 150dB |
The incidence of hearing loss in classical musicians has been estimated at 4 – 43%, in rock musicians 13 – 30%.
Statistics for the Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart were taken from a study by Marshall Chasin, M.Sc., Aud(C), FAAA, Centre for Human Performance & Health, Ontario, Canada.
What Can You Do?
Since voices tend to produce a more pressed phonation –
- Avoid talking over noise whenever possible. Turn off the fan, buzzing lights, computers, etc. when talking.
- Wear an earplug in at least one ear. It can help your voice avoid speaking too loudly.
- When you can, use sound makers (whistles, hand claps, etc.) rather than a loud voice.
- Use personal amplification or room amplification when coaching or teaching to minimize voice overuse: Chatterbox.usa.com / Independentliving.com
- Avoid loud public spaces, especially places where amplification is over-used.
- Search out restaurants where acoustics are kind to the ear. I find Asian restaurants to be more considerate in this regard.
- Get intentional about it! Encourage a quiet household by lowering your voice, take turns talking, keeping the TV and music speakers at a comfortable level, schedule a silent time every day, move away from loud sounds and closer to the person to whom you are speaking.
What else can you do as a teacher?
- Talk to your administrators about the importance of classroom acoustics adding acoustic panels to the ceiling and walls and carpeting to the floors. These materials help decrease the reverberation or echo of sound in the room.
- Minimize the noise from fans, lights, overhead projectors, and sound coming from other classes especially while teaching.
