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I'm sympathetic to your complaint, but consider that 85 dB is quieter than an unamplified symphony orchestra or the cabin of most cruising airliners.

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Yup, and people who play instruments in orchestras do tend to experience hearing loss if they don't wear protection.

Hmmm. Yeah maybe 85db is pretty low. There is some threshold that I feel pretty confident about, but I don't know what number it actually is. Looking here: http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/harmful-noise-levels-topic-ove... I suspect it's more likely 110db.

I'm also maybe grumpier because I went to a show last night and I've had weird hearing all morning. :/

Well, extended exposure to 85 dB will cause hearing loss. I think a good techno club will not be louder than 100 dB.

But my point was that many environments we consider "safe", "normal", or "enjoyable" are actually dangerous to our hearing, so we have to enter them with an understanding that we are trading temporary enjoyment for long-term health.

The UK Health and Safety Executive has that you should go over an "Event LAeq of more than 107 dB or C-weighted peak sound pressure levels of more than 140 dB."

Which is quite loud.

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