Sounds above what decibel level are considered harmful?

Sounds above 85 decibels are generally acknowledged as harmful to human hearing, particularly with prolonged exposure. At this level, the risk of hearing damage increases significantly, as sounds above 85 dB can cause permanent hearing loss over time without proper hearing protection. The threshold is informed by extensive research on the impact of noise on auditory health, where exposure to sound levels that exceed this decibel range can lead to acoustic trauma or other negative auditory outcomes.

While 90 dB and 95 dB are also recognized as potentially harmful levels, 85 dB is the critical threshold that delineates safety from potential risk in occupational settings. Therefore, 85 dB is established as the level at which employers should implement hearing conservation programs to protect their employees from the harmful effects of noise exposure.