ATTN MODS: This subject warrants a dedicated forum IMO.
Long periods of exposure to sounds exceeding 85 decibels, the equivalent of busy street traffic, is considered risky. The pain threshold is 125 decibels. The average rock concert is 115 decibels, 10 decibels below a jackhammer or ambulance. The permissible exposure time before damage occurs at 115 decibels is three minutes, according to data from 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division. Sound systems in some arenas and stadiums can hit 140 decibels. That’s louder than a jet engine.
People think Pete Townsend lost his hearing as a direct result of Moonie's Smothers Brothers exploding drum stunt, and it was most likely a contributing factor, however Pete claims is was actually due to extensive headphone usage in the studio. I'm sure those maxed-out HiWatt amps didn't help matters either, however I do believe that headphones are less obvious and extremely detrimental to your hearing regardless of volume levels. It's virtually impossible to use headphone at volumes low enough not to cause hearing damage over time. No doubt headphones make my tinnitus far worse and if you've haven't experienced tinnitus consider yourself fortunate--it's maddening!
Short list of well known musicians who have admitted to hearing loss:
George Martin (who began experiencing hearing loss in the ’70s after years of long stretches in the studio. Nearly deaf when he retired in 1998, he was wearing two hearing aids and had learned to lip-read), Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, Danny Elfman, Anthony Kiedis, Barbara Streisand, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Liam Gallagher, John Densmore, Mick Fleetwood, Huey Lewis, Moby, Sting. Roger Daltrey's deaf and has to resort to lip-reading. Both Pete and Rodger wear hearing aids. It's amazing those two are still touring.
Common Sources of Noise and Decibel Levels
How loud something sounds to you is not the same as the actual intensity of that sound. Sound intensity is the amount of sound energy in a confined space. It is measured in decibels (dB). The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means that loudness is not directly proportional to sound intensity. Instead, the intensity of a sound grows very fast. This means that a sound at 20 dB is 10 times more intense than a sound at 10 dB. Also, the intensity of a sound at 100 dB is one billion times more powerful compared to a sound at 10 dB.
Two sounds that have equal intensity are not necessarily equally loud. Loudness refers to how you perceive audible sounds. A sound that seems loud in a quiet room might not be noticeable when you are on a street corner with heavy traffic, even though the sound intensity is the same. In general, to measure loudness, a sound must be increased by 10 dB to be perceived as twice as loud. For example, ten violins would sound only twice as loud as one violin.
The risk of damaging your hearing from noise increases with the sound intensity, not the loudness of the sound! If you need to raise your voice to be heard at an arm’s length, the noise level in the environment is likely above 85 dB in sound intensity and could damage your hearing over time. A whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.
EXAMPLES:
Gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers 80-85dbs: Damage to hearing possible after 2 hours of exposure
Motorcycle 95dB: Damage to hearing possible after about 50 minutes of exposure
Approaching subway train, car horn at 16 feet (5 meters), and sporting events (such as hockey playoffs and football games) 10dB: Hearing loss possible after 15 minutes
The maximum volume level for personal listening devices; a very loud radio, stereo, or television; and loud entertainment venues (such as nightclubs, bars, and rock concerts) 105–110dB:
Hearing loss possible in less than 5 minutes
Shouting or barking in the ear 110dB: Hearing loss possible in less than 2 minutes
Standing beside or near sirens 120dB: Pain and ear injury
Firecrackers 140–150dB: Pain and ear injury