ARTICLES |
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Year : 2000 | Volume
: 2
| Issue : 8 | Page : 55--58 |
Cinemas - do they pose a risk to hearing?
Melanie A Ferguson, Adrian C Davis, Elizabeth A Lovell
MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Clinical Section, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Correspondence Address:
Melanie A Ferguson MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Clinical Section, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 6HA United Kingdom
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
PMID: 12689462 
Noise measurements were made in cinemas during the showing of four films, to establish whether the noise levels from films might pose a risk of damage to hearing. The L Aeq levels for the full playing time of each film were all below 80 dB(A). Noise levels did sometimes exceed 90 dB(A) but this was never for more than a total of two minutes, and was usually for only a few seconds. Repeat L Aeq levels for the same films were shown to vary by 3-4 dB across different cinemas. Based on this limited sample of films and cinemas, there is no evidence that sound levels in cinemas cause permanent damage to hearing.
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