The noisiest sport on earth?
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
Photo credit: Jenda Kubeš
Recent news coverage of the Formula 1 race at the Miami Grand Prix won by Kimi Antonelli provides an occasion to review noise exposure for those attending sports events. According to CNET, F1 racing may win the dubious distinctionof being the loudest sport in the world with reported sound pressure levels of 140 decibels. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined that the maximum permissible occupational noise exposure limit is 140 A-weighted decibels (dBA)*. Even 1 second exposure at 140 dBA will cause permanent hearing loss.
The CNET report states that the world motorsports governing body mandates use of hearing protection and discusses various methods the McLaren racing team uses to protect the hearing of drivers and pit crew. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends the use of dual protection, both earplugs and earmuff hearing protection devices, for noise exposure above 100 dBA but this is not mandated by OSHA.
Loud noise at sports events isn’t limited to motor sports. Noise levels at a variety of sports events range from 85 to 135 dBA. According to the Guinness World Records site, the world record stadium noise level was 142.2 dBA at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on September 29, 2014, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots. Most likely anyone attending that game who did not have hearing protection suffered hearing damage.
To protect hearing, those attending noisy events, including rock concerts, motorsports, and college and professional sporting games, should pack industrial-strength earplugs with a Noise Reduction Rating of at least 27 dB.
Because if it sounds loud, it’s too loud, and one’s auditory health is at risk.
*A-weighting adjusts unweighted sound measurements to approximate the frequencies heard in human speech. Hearing loss sufficient to interfere with understanding speech is the compensable workplace injury from excessive noise exposure.
