Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health says that your daily subway commute can be hazardous to your hearing. Dr. Robyn Gershon announced the findings of a study which found that noise from the platform and inside cars exceeds safe limits. We suppose that listening to intense jackhammering and construction while waiting for weekend subway service also puts us at risk. Here's some interesting news from the study:
Average and maximum noise measurements were made using a precision sound level meter on subway platforms located in the four New York boroughs with underground subways (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens). The average maximum noise level on subway platforms measured was 94 decibels (dBA). The average maximum inside of subway cars was 95 dBA, and at bus stops, the average maximum was 84 dBA. For comparison, approximate levels of familiar sounds are: 45-60 dBA for normal conversation, 100 dBA for a chainsaw and 140 dBA for a gunblast. The logarithmic nature of decibels means that every 10 dBA equals a 10 fold increase in intensity. Thus a 90 dBA sound is 10 times as intense as an 80 dBA sound.Continue reading "News Flash: The Subway is LOUD"


