Cicadas don't bite or string, but that doesn't mean they can't bug your ears.
The insect, which emerges from its underground habitat once every 13 years to shed it's shell, has a hiss so loud that one university professor is warning Tennessee locals about the potential hearing damage the cicada chirping can cause.
"They're in the neighborhood of 90 decibels or above, if you get real close to them," Todd Ricketts, associate professor of hearing and speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn, recently toldWSMV Nashville.
"Annoying, irritating and you have to shout to talk over them," said Ricketts.
According to Rickets' measurements, the cicadas on the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville, Tenn., measured at roughly 86 decibles. 85 decibles is the volume where the threat of hearing damage begins, and federal work standards stipulate that sounds exceeding that level should not be heard for more than a four hour period.
Depending on proximity, the cicadas' hiss stacks up to a 85 decibel bustle of heavy city traffic, a 90 decibel hum of a lawnmower or a 95 decibel rumble of a New York City subway train.
And good luck avoiding them. Nancy Hinkle, a University of Georgia entomologist managingGeorgia's first statewide study on periodical cicadas says there are "bazillions."
"There are at least tens of millions if not hundreds of millions. There are people who claim they have millions in their own backyards."
Watch:
The insect, which emerges from its underground habitat once every 13 years to shed it's shell, has a hiss so loud that one university professor is warning Tennessee locals about the potential hearing damage the cicada chirping can cause.
"They're in the neighborhood of 90 decibels or above, if you get real close to them," Todd Ricketts, associate professor of hearing and speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn, recently toldWSMV Nashville.
"Annoying, irritating and you have to shout to talk over them," said Ricketts.
According to Rickets' measurements, the cicadas on the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville, Tenn., measured at roughly 86 decibles. 85 decibles is the volume where the threat of hearing damage begins, and federal work standards stipulate that sounds exceeding that level should not be heard for more than a four hour period.
Depending on proximity, the cicadas' hiss stacks up to a 85 decibel bustle of heavy city traffic, a 90 decibel hum of a lawnmower or a 95 decibel rumble of a New York City subway train.
And good luck avoiding them. Nancy Hinkle, a University of Georgia entomologist managingGeorgia's first statewide study on periodical cicadas says there are "bazillions."
"There are at least tens of millions if not hundreds of millions. There are people who claim they have millions in their own backyards."
Watch:
Could the continuous noise lead to a lightheaded feeling?
ReplyDeleteMaybe weve become immune to it. Maybe its just sonic wallpaper, there all the time but never noticed.
ReplyDeleteWalk down any street in a major city and youll hear noise lots of it. From cabs and cars, jackhammers, street vendors, buses and subways, people shouting to be heard. We live in a loud world. And over time, that background noise will lead to hearing impairment for many people.
The baby boomers were the first generation to experience loud sound on a regular basis. Thats why many people in their 40s and 50s are lining up for a hearing screenings and are getting fitted with hearing aids.