Will High Frequency Sounds Damage your Ear?!
Question: I already know that high Volumes (Amplitudes) in excess of 85db can do damage to your ear over prolonged periods of time. However I do not know the case for sound frequencies.
I have found that high frequencies tend to be painful, such as 16,17,18,19khz
Would prolonged exposure to such high frequencies cause damage to your ear like Decibels do, or would it be safe to listen to such high frequencies without hearing loss.
I couldn't find information regarding this except.
In addition, I was wondering if a High Frequency such as 25khz at a high Decibel rating like 180 could cause hearing damage, even though you cannot hear it.
Answer:
High frequency sound cause damage ONLY if their intensity is also high. 85dB is what is given as a rule-of-thumb; but I would theorize that high frequencies are potentially damaging at lower intensities if there is prolonged exposure. I base this on the well-established fact that noise exposure of any kind has the greatest impact on high-frequenct regions of the cochlea. We are seeing dentists, hairdressers and housekeepers with hearing loss configurations typically associated with noise-induced. However, I am not aware of any frequency-specific research in the audible high frequencies or the ultra-high frequencies.
Excuse me could you repeat that louder can't hear a word you saying.
It makes sense that higher frequency sound-wavelengths would hurt your ears just as higher frequency light-wavelengths do (and you can't see them), but unless you're constantly around whatever is causing the sound, I don't think it will damage your ears.
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