- A lawn mower that is about 3 feet away produces about as much sound pressure as a subway train that crosses 10 feet in front of you. The sound pressure level from a lawn mower is about 95 to 100 decibels. This is about 16 times as loud as a normal conversation. According to Dangerous Decibels, which is an awareness program at Oregon Health and Science University, you should not expose yourself to 100 decibels of sound for more than 15 minutes at a time.
- Although the amount of sound that comes from a vacuum cleaner might sound similar to the volume that comes from a lawn mower, a vacuum cleaner is significantly quieter. A vacuum cleaner that is about 10 feet away produces a decibel sound pressure level of 70 decibels. This is about twice as loud as a normal conversation.
- A lawn mower is significantly quieter than a club is while a band is playing. The sound pressure level in a club such as this is about 110 decibels. This is about 16 times as loud as a normal conversation. You risk exposing your ears to hearing damage if you are in this environment for more than about one minute.
- Your lawnmower should never be so loud that the sound it emits causes immediate ear pain. The pain threshold for most people is a sound pressure level of about 120 decibels. This is twice as loud as a club with a band playing and 64 times as loud as a normal conversation.
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