At this time of year, it is especially important to remember that many of the most popular toys also generate a great deal of noise. The good news is that parents can test toys before buying them by using one of several apps that measure sound levels.
The holidays are here and many parents will be shopping for toys for their children. At this time of year, it is especially important to remember that many of the most popular toys tend to be sophisticated electronic devices that also generate a great deal of noise. In fact, a study at UC Irvine found that the noise level of many toys can reach the mid-80 decibel level and some toys clock in as loud as 115 decibls. Noise at just 85 decibels can cause irreversible hearing damage over eight hours, according to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The good news is that parents can test toys before buying them by using one of several apps that measure sound levels. Here are some listed on the Healthy Hearing website:
dB Volume Meter – This application, created for iPhone, offers a way to measure audio volume in the environment around you. The application provides useful examples of noises that may be over the dangerous 90 dB level, such as gun blasts at close range and jet take-offs. dB Volume Meter must be calibrated to work optimally and requires an external microphone, which is built in to the iPhone 4.
TooLoud? – Also developed as an iPhone app, TooLoud? is a sound level meter tool that shows you the noise levels in your environment and warns you if you should be wearing earplugs. It’s often easy to take loud noises for granted as part of the necessity of living or working in certain conditions. TooLoud? provides decibel levels in a simple numerical display and allows you to specify filters and offset values for normal background noise.
deciBel – This sound level meter application for the Android market is a simple tool that uses the smart phone’s microphone to measure Sound Pressure Level (SPL). deciBel displays the current, minimum, and maximum values of sounds around you, in decibels, and then turns this information into user-friendly sound level charts and graphs.
And remember, when all else fails, you can always help mute the toy's speaker by covering it with tape or glue. This quick fix can lower the noise level by several decibels.
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