# How loud does something have to be to kill someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715 "2001-03-12T22:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Du\_Hast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Du\_Hast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Du_Hast)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/1 "2001-03-12T22:32:49Z")
I saw this once on BattleBots, that it took 150 dB to stop the human heart. Is this true? If so, I’m afraid, since I work in a VERY loud job enviroment (I assemble 747 engines). So is there a fatal decibel level? And if so, is it really 150 dB? Please tell me. I’m scared. Hugs n’ Kisses Nick ---
**Author:** ![Braindoggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Braindoggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Braindoggy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2001, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/2 "2001-03-12T23:15:10Z")
That’s ridiculous. There are any number of ways (poisoning, for instance) to kill someone in total silence. Fatal decibel level, INDEED. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/3 "2001-03-12T23:16:48Z")
150 dB seems a little low for fatality, but I’d guess that [240 decibels](http://www.thunderstone.com/texis/site/demos/gbwr/+6heGlV29xBmeU-7mkeSxwww/record.html) might do it: > [@](#): > > The loudest in a laboratory has been 210 decibels, or 400 000 acoustic watts, reported by NASA from a 14.63 m 48 ft steel and concrete test bed for the Saturn V rocket static with 18.3 m 60 ft deep foundations, at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL in October 1965. Holes could be bored in solid material by this means, and the audible range was in excess of 161 km 100 miles. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/4 "2001-03-12T23:17:58Z")
Oops, I meant 210 decibels in my link … ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/5 "2001-03-13T00:06:44Z")
Here’s a site that might interest you: [Noise What You Can’t Hear Can Hurt You](http://www-afsc.saia.af.mil/magazine/htdocs/marmag97/mar2002.htm) ```auto SoundPressure SOURCE Level (dB) 220 Inside detonating diesel cylinder 210 200 300m from Space Shuttle launch 190 10m from detonating land mine 180 (probable eardrum rupture) 170 160 Shotgun blast at muzzle 150 Jet takeoff at 10m (instant ear damage) 140 Jet takeoff at 30m (protected ear limit) 130 Pneumatic riveter (unprotected ear limit) 120 Rock concert 2m from amplifier (pain threshold) 110 Chainsaw at arm's length 100 Very noisy factory (cumulative ear damage) 90 Boiler room 80 Inside open sports car 70 Busy office/normal speech at 1 m 60 Washing machine/clothes dryer 50 Light traffic 40 Quiet bedroom 30 Quiet countryside 20 Recording studio 10 Normal breathing 0 Threshold of hearing -10 Too quiet Sources: Sanders & McCormick (1993) Kantowitz & Sorkin (1983) Taylor (1970) ``` And from the same site: > [@](#): > > No amount of head-worn ear protection works well above 150 dB. ---
**Author:** ![NewUser1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f1d935/32.png) [@NewUser1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewUser1)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/6 "2001-03-13T01:40:48Z")
In response: super loud!!! ---
**Author:** ![waxteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@waxteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waxteeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/7 "2001-03-13T03:13:36Z")
I wonder what you would die from. Seems like a high pitched noise would have to be a lot louder than a low tone one. In my mind a low tone could vibrate you to death but a high tone would have to do something like pierce you. I know a nuclear physicist, I’ll ask him. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/8 "2001-03-13T06:40:51Z")
My nieghbor is really loud, I’m thinking of killing her. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/9 "2001-03-13T14:46:30Z")
This thread reminds me of Douglas Adams and Disaster Area (IIRC, might be Disaster Zone), who typically broadcast their concerts from orbit and a single song could change planetary ecosystems… ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/10 "2001-03-13T19:15:50Z")
wouldn’t a loud enough sound created a moving front of highly compressed air? That could be dense enough to set up a shock wave in the blood stream and stop your heart, or simply crush the shit out of you (perhaps literally). jb ---
**Author:** ![Darwinself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Darwinself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwinself)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/11 "2001-03-13T19:24:45Z")
I dont know about stopping your heart…but it does seem odd to me that in movies ( yes I know, not the same as reality)the hero will escape an explosion but be so close to it that it flings him several feet in the air. Forget the shrapnel. He stands up and brushes the dirt off his clothes and might be slightly deaf for a moment or two but quickly recovers his hearing. No bloody nose? No burst eardrums that take more than a few minutes to heal? Is it the force of the blast or the suddenness of the strong blast that does the damage? MaMa Maroon ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/12 "2001-03-13T19:27:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beatle \* > \*\* > 160 Shotgun blast at muzzle > > \*\* Hopefully, this is BEHIND the muzzle. In front of it, and 160 dB would be enough to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/13 "2001-03-13T20:25:01Z")
This site says that the Guinness Book of World Records says that 192 decibels causes internal injuries that could be fatal: [http://customer.centralbenefits.com/health/websrc/vol3num2/263/b263.htm](http://customer.centralbenefits.com/health/websrc/vol3num2/263/b263.htm) BTW, I hate to ruin the book if you haven’t read it, but noise is a cause of death in The Nine Tailors by Sayers. ---
**Author:** ![Hector5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@Hector5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector5)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/14 "2001-03-13T23:25:50Z")
I saw a science program on TV (so it must be true) describing a guy who was killed by a nearby (less than 10 meters) lightening strike, but had no visible injuries. Eventually doctors decided that the loud noise from the lightening (the thunder) hit his chest while his heart was at a particularly vulnerable point in between heartbeats, and his heart stopped. The same thing can happen to people who are struck in the chest by a baseball or other fast-moving object. It only rarely causes the heart to stop, but there is a small risk, if the heart happens to be at a certain point in its cycle. CPR and prompt medical attention would probably save such a victim, so this is probably not a reliable way to kill someone with sound. ---
**Author:** ![Du\_Hast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Du\_Hast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Du_Hast)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/15 "2001-03-14T22:03:54Z")
Thank you. I was wondering. Now I know I can’t die at work…no…wait…welding accidents, falling equipment, drunk employees, sharp objects, etc. I hate working on an assembly line. ---
**Author:** ![waxteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@waxteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waxteeth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/16 "2001-03-15T13:30:22Z")
Here is the resposne I got from my friend: Waxteeth, ( **funny how my friends call me that** ) You are basically right about the sound waves. The frequency (wavelength) will penetrate the body differently for the different wavelengths. For example, ultrasound wavelengths penetrate the body nicely and are used to image internal body parts. Low frequency however doesn’t penetrate. Think of it this way. The low frequency waves have a long wavelength (wavelength x frequency = speed of sound). This wavelength is comparable or larger than your body size. Your body sees (or feels) the sound wave as a pressure burst. Think of sitting in front of a big speaker and feeling the base pound out against you. The higher frequency waves have a shorter wavelength and can penetrate the body. How far depends on how your body absorbs or reflects the sound waves. Either the long or the short wavelengths can cause pain, injury or death depending on the amount of energy deposited in your body. For example, using ultra sound at low intensities, a doctor might image the baby in the womb, at higher power he might break apart kidney stones. Low frequency sound can cause damage too but it is more like feeling a big burst of air pressure. This burst of air pressure is what actually destroys things when a bomb blows up next to something. Most buildings do not take much pressure difference outside to inside before they collapse. Sound intensity is measure using the audible decibel (different from power decibel) This measures sound on a logarithmic scale. This means every increase of 10 in decibels increases the sound intensity by 10, 50 dB is 10 times more intense then 40dB, 60 dB is 100 times more intense than 40 dB and so on. Interestingly enough, the human ear apparently works on a logarithmic scale also so 50 dB is not 10 times louder than 40 dB. The point of all of this is that the sound level to cause death is somewhere above 150dB. I’m not sure what exactly it is. I have been told that the payload bay of the Space Shuttle during launch can be around 160 to 170 dB (if I remember right) and was told this was a lethal level. There are many things that are loud enough to kill with the Space Shuttle being one of them. I hope I answered your question. If not let me know and I’ll try again. friend of waxteeth. ---
**Author:** ![Du\_Hast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Du\_Hast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Du_Hast)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/17 "2001-03-15T16:07:20Z")
Thanks. That answered everything. The equipment at the assembly line only gets up to around 140-150 dB. Very loud. And I gave someone else my earplugs. Grrrrrr. Ah well, I’ll by some tonight. I’m posting this at work right now…oh great, coffee break’s over. Back to the assembly line. I envy those who work in cube farms. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/18 "2001-03-15T18:23:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Du\_Hast \* > **Thanks. That answered everything. The equipment at the assembly line only gets up to around 140-150 dB. Very loud. And I gave someone else my earplugs.** I find it hard to believe that: a) You are being exposed to this level of noise exposure without an OSHA and/or NIOSH inspector jumping all over your company, and b) That you are being exposed to this level of noise without strictly mandated hearing protection (i.e. if you don’t have hearing protection, you are immediately ordered off of the assembly line). In fact, I am certain that your company is required to supply you with adequate hearing protection. Also, earplugs alone aren’t going to cut it. From [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/98-126f.html:](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/98-126f.html:) > [@](#): > > When a worker’s time-weighted noise exposure exceeds 100 dBA, both earplugs and earmuffs should be worn… Given the real-world performance of hearing protectors [Berger et al. 1996], NIOSH cautions that even double protection is inadequate when TWA exposures exceed 105dBA. > > …How much attenuation a hearing protector provides depends on its characteristics and how the worker wears it. The selected hearing protector must be capable of keeping the noise exposure at the ear below 85 dBA. ---
**Author:** ![Du\_Hast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Du\_Hast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Du_Hast)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/19 "2001-03-15T19:55:04Z")
Robby: I had earplugs, but I gave them to a friend since he forgot his. I just bought new pair at the store, which is good, since I my hearing was temporarly gone for work. Which is also good since Bonnie Tyler was playing at the store I got them at. The company I work at tries to ensure our safety, but there’s only so much they can do. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715/20 "2001-03-15T20:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beatle \* > > 120 Rock concert 2m from amplifier (pain threshold) Ugh. Been there, hated it. Pal, until you’ve heard amplified bagpipes backed up by pitiful Korn riffs, you don’t know the meaning of hell. This reminds me of last night’s Survivor when Rodger voted for Jerri and said, 'Nice Kid…way too loud." jarbaby [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-loud-does-something-have-to-be-to-kill-someone/57715.md?page=2)