Is Summer Slowly Damaging Your Hearing? What Utah Residents Need to Know

Summer in Utah sounds like a good time — and that’s exactly the problem.

Between the fireworks at the Stadium of Fire on the Fourth of July, the concerts at USANA Amphitheatre, the lawnmowers and leaf blowers every Saturday morning, and the boat engines echoing off the reservoir, your ears are working overtime from June through August. Most of the noise feels festive, normal, even harmless. But noise-induced hearing loss doesn’t announce itself. It builds quietly, damage by damage, until one day you realize you’re struggling to follow conversations you used to handle easily.

Here’s what most people aren’t told: noise-induced hearing loss is permanent. Once those tiny hair cells inside your cochlea are damaged, they don’t grow back. There is no hearing aid that restores what was never lost in the first place, which is why summer is exactly the right time to pay attention.

Take our quick noise exposure quiz to get a sense of how much noise risk you’re carrying this summer.

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How Loud Is Too Loud?

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). The threshold for damage isn't as high as most people assume. According to the CDC, sounds at or above 85 dB can cause hearing loss — and the damage depends on both the volume and how long you're exposed.

To put that in context:

• Normal conversation: ~60 dB
• Lawnmower or leaf blower: ~85–90 dB
• Motorcycle or speedboat: ~95–100 dB
• Live outdoor concert: ~100–110 dB
• Fireworks (close range): 140–160 dB

At 85 dB, you have about eight hours before damage becomes a real risk. At 100 dB, that window shrinks to about 15 minutes. Fireworks at close range can cause immediate, permanent damage in a single exposure — which is worth keeping in mind the next time you're watching a neighborhood display from 20 feet away.

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The Summer Noise Sources Most People Ignore

Earbuds and headphones. Pool decks, hiking trails, road trips — summer is peak earbud season. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends following the 60/60 rule: no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time. Most people are listening louder and longer than that, especially in noisy environments where they're competing with background sound.

Power tools and lawn equipment. Mowing, edging, weed-whacking, running the pressure washer — these fall squarely in the 85–100 dB range. A typical Utah summer yard session can easily hit 45–60 minutes without ear protection, which is long enough to matter.

Motorcycles and boats. The engine noise alone on most motorcycles sits around 95 dB. Add wind noise at highway speed and you're looking at exposures that add up fast over a weekend ride. Same with boats — the combination of engine and wind puts many watercraft in the 90–100 dB range, often for hours at a stretch.

Fireworks. This deserves its own emphasis. Professional fireworks displays and backyard fireworks alike produce explosive bursts that can peak at 140–160 dB near the source. That's not a sustained exposure risk — it's an impulse noise risk, where a single burst can cause immediate cochlear damage. Distance helps, but most people watching neighborhood fireworks are far closer than they realize.

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What You Can Actually Do About It

Wear hearing protection — and make it a habit, not an afterthought. Foam earplugs reduce noise by 20–30 dB. Earmuffs provide similar or better protection and are easier to keep on. For concerts, musicians' earplugs (available at most music stores or online) reduce volume without muffling sound quality. You can still enjoy the music. You just protect the ears while you do it.

Take distance seriously. Every time you double your distance from a noise source, the sound intensity drops significantly. Standing 50 feet from fireworks is meaningfully safer than standing 20 feet away. Moving toward the back of a concert venue matters.

Give your ears recovery time. After a loud event, ears need quiet time to recover from temporary threshold shifts — the muffled hearing and ringing many people notice after concerts. If that temporary ringing becomes permanent, it's called tinnitus. If the muffled hearing doesn't fully clear, hearing loss has already begun.

Know the warning signs. Ringing, buzzing, or fullness in your ears after noise exposure; difficulty following speech in background noise; needing people to repeat themselves more than you used to — these aren't quirks to brush off. They're signals worth taking seriously.

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When to Get Your Hearing Checked

If you're noticing any of those warning signs, a hearing evaluation is the right next step. Not because something is definitely wrong, but because understanding your baseline now gives you something to compare against later. Best-practice audiology includes more than a basic hearing test — at Timpanogos Hearing & Tinnitus, that means real ear verification, speech-in-noise testing, and a tinnitus evaluation if ringing is part of the picture.

The most expensive hearing loss is the kind you didn't catch early enough to protect against.

If you're in American Fork, Spanish Fork, or anywhere in Utah County or the Salt Lake Valley, we're here when you're ready. Schedule a hearing evaluation — or start with the quiz above to see where your noise exposure stands this summer.

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Sources:

• CDC — What Noises Cause Hearing Loss?
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) — Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention
• Dangerous Decibels — About Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

FAQ

Can fireworks damage your hearing?

Yes. Fireworks can reach 140–160 decibels at close range — well above the threshold for immediate hearing damage. A single loud burst is enough to cause permanent noise-induced hearing loss or trigger tinnitus. Distance matters: the farther you are from the source, the lower the risk. Hearing protection is the safest option if you're attending a display up close.

How loud does sound have to be to damage your hearing?

Sounds at or above 85 decibels (dB) can cause hearing damage over time. At 85 dB, the safe exposure limit is about eight hours. At 100 dB — the level of a loud concert or power tool — that window drops to around 15 minutes. Because noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative and permanent, repeated exposures add up even when each one feels brief.

Can earbuds or headphones cause hearing loss?

Yes, especially at high volumes or during long listening sessions. Many people turn up the volume to compete with background noise — on a plane, at the pool, or during a workout — without realizing how loud the audio actually is. The standard recommendation is to follow the 60/60 rule: no more than 60% of maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.

What are the signs of noise-induced hearing loss?

Early warning signs include ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus) after noise exposure, temporary muffled hearing that takes hours to clear, difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, and needing people to repeat themselves more than usual. These symptoms shouldn't be dismissed as normal — they're signals that your auditory system has been stressed and may already be accumulating damage.

Is noise-induced hearing loss permanent?

In most cases, yes. The hair cells inside the cochlea that convert sound into nerve signals do not regenerate once damaged. Some temporary hearing changes after loud noise exposure will resolve on their own, but repeated exposures or a single very loud event can cause permanent threshold shifts. There is no surgical or medical treatment that restores hearing lost from noise damage, which is why prevention matters far more than treatment.

What hearing protection should I use for concerts and outdoor events?

Standard foam earplugs work and are inexpensive, but they muffle sound significantly. For concerts and live music, musicians' earplugs (also called high-fidelity earplugs) are a better option — they reduce volume evenly across frequencies so you still hear music clearly, just at a safer level. Earmuffs offer strong protection for louder environments like shooting ranges or fireworks displays.

How can I protect my hearing during summer outdoor activities?

Wear hearing protection during any activity that reaches 85 dB or higher — mowing the lawn, using power tools, riding a motorcycle, attending concerts or air shows, or watching fireworks up close. Keep distance between yourself and loud noise sources when protection isn't practical. Give your ears quiet recovery time after loud events, and limit headphone volume when background noise pushes you to turn it up.

When should I get a hearing test after noise exposure?

If you notice ringing, fullness, or muffled hearing that doesn't resolve within 24 hours after a loud event, schedule a hearing evaluation promptly. Even without noticeable symptoms, anyone with regular high-noise exposure — occupational or recreational — should have a baseline hearing test and periodic monitoring. Catching early changes gives you more options for protecting what remains.