Although you may think Decibel was Jezebel's younger sister, nothing could be further from the truth. A decibel (dB) is a measure of sound intensity. The scale runs from the faintest sound the human ear can detect, which is labeled 0 dB, to over 180 dB, the noise at a rocket pad during blast off. By the way, a rock concert averages 110-120 dB Here are a few decibel level for some of our more popular sounds: Whisper 30, 60 normal conversation 60, lawnmower 90 , auto horn 115, gun muzzle blast 140. According to the experts, properly fitted earplugs or muffs reduce noise by 15 to 30 dB. The better earplugs and muffs are approximately equal in sound reductions, although foam ear plugs are better for low frequency noise and earmuffs for high frequency noise. For more information on decibels go to www.lhh.org/noise/decibel.htm
