Train Horn Exposure: Can It Damage Hearing or Make Tinnitus Worse?

[simon225]

Hi everyone,

Today I took the train to school, and when I got out I had to walk under a small bridge that the train passes over. Just as I walked out from underneath it, the train blasted its horn. I had a dB meter app running on my phone, which showed a maximum of 86 dB at the moment it happened. I know that is not very loud for a short sound, but I am worried the measurement might not have been accurate because the train was behind me to my left, while my phone was in my right hand.

Can someone give me advice on how to handle this, and whether it could be damaging? Any advice would really help.

 

[Scruffiey]

Did you get a spike? Any alteration in hearing thresholds? If not, no harm done.

If you didn't, not a lot you can do about it... I doubt a doctor is going to prescribe prednisone because you heard a train horn.
Wait it out, and it'll pass.

Just keep calm, and you'll probably forget about it in a couple of weeks. Accidents happen, and it sounds more like you're just anxious about it rather than it having caused an issue.

 

[dingaling]

If it was just a short blast, then I wouldn't worry.

If you already have tinnitus and the train horn exacerbated it (made worse), then, provided that you don't get anxious over it, nothing will happen.

 

[Yosemite]

I take it you don't wear earplugs outdoors?

Did your tinnitus spike after the train horn exposure? If it didn't, then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[simon225]

I take it you don't wear earplugs outdoors?

Did your tinnitus spike after the train horn exposure? If it didn't, then I wouldn't worry about it.

I try my best not to. I started wearing hearing protection many times a year ago, and it gave me mild hyperacusis. So now I am trying to go back outdoors without earplugs, but I do keep my dB meter on when I find myself in busy or stressful situations, like today.

The horn did make my tinnitus worse, but I have experienced a lot of stress during the past weeks, which also made it worse, so I do not know which of the 2 is the cause.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

 

[dingaling]

Stress will have put your brain into "Danger alert" and as a result, neurones in the auditory cortex will have "shut the filter gates" so that your hearing (and hyperacusis) will have become more hyper-sensitive.

 

[Rainer]

I started wearing hearing protection many times a year ago, and it gave me mild hyperacusis.

You could try electronic earmuffs for shooters. These are designed to limit noise to 83 dB(A) maximum, but do not muffle softer sounds.

Personally, I prefer the Sordin Supreme Pro-X with neckband and gel pads.

Did you get a spike? Any alteration in hearing thresholds? If not, no harm done.

I don't think that this is a valid conclusion. @simon225 posted his question on the day of the incident, and for many people (including me), the aftermath comes several days later.

 

[Scruffiey]

You could try electronic earmuffs for shooters. These are designed to limit noise to 83 dB(A) maximum, but do not muffle softer sounds.

Personally, I prefer the Sordin Supreme Pro-X with neckband and gel pads.

I don't think that this is a valid conclusion. @simon225 posted his question on the day of the incident, and for many people (including me), the aftermath comes several days later.

I'm well aware. I was trying to be supportive and stop them from spiraling into further anxiety over something they're not going to have any control over. From the original post, it sounded like anxiety about the event.

If it does get worse, which I hope it doesn't, then we can advise. For the time being, there isn't a lot that can be done apart from hoping for the best and that any potential future spike will be short-lived.

So for now, the best thing to do is to try to stay calm. It sounded like they're already doing their best to avoid loud noise, given the constant dB measurements, so I felt it didn't need to be reiterated.

If there'd been a threshold shift or a particularly bad spike, I might've reconsidered and suggested something different.

Shooter earmuffs may be a good suggestion for the future, rather than constant vigilance.

 

[Maruashen]

I think you will be fine. Maybe rest your ears for a couple of days, and I bet you are already doing that.

Last year, a bus honked its horn when I was right in front of it while walking into a taxi, and it somehow did not make my tinnitus worse.

Train horns can be loud, very loud, but the decibel level also decreases quickly within the first few meters from the horn. It sounds to me like the train was about 25 meters from you, just guessing.

The horn is mounted on the train's roof, and you were under a bridge. Those are several factors that would reduce the sound level. Let's say the horn was 140 dBA at 1 meter. If so, it would probably have been around 112 dBA at your ears in free air, but this was not free air. There was the train below the horn, the bridge, and a lot of air movement around, so to be fair, 86 dBA seems quite plausible.

For a brief sound like that, I try to tell myself that it becomes dangerous at 100 dB or higher. A lot, and I mean a lot, of everyday sounds are in the 85 to 95 dB LCpeak range.

 

[simon225]

I think you will be fine. Maybe rest your ears for a couple of days, and I bet you are already doing that.

Last year, a bus honked its horn when I was right in front of it while walking into a taxi, and it somehow did not make my tinnitus worse.

Train horns can be loud, very loud, but the decibel level also decreases quickly within the first few meters from the horn. It sounds to me like the train was about 25 meters from you, just guessing.

The horn is mounted on the train's roof, and you were under a bridge. Those are several factors that would reduce the sound level. Let's say the horn was 140 dBA at 1 meter. If so, it would probably have been around 112 dBA at your ears in free air, but this was not free air. There was the train below the horn, the bridge, and a lot of air movement around, so to be fair, 86 dBA seems quite plausible.

For a brief sound like that, I try to tell myself that it becomes dangerous at 100 dB or higher. A lot, and I mean a lot, of everyday sounds are in the 85 to 95 dB LCpeak range.

Thanks a lot for your reply! I also try to remind myself that, in order to live a somewhat normal life, these are sounds I have to accept. For me, the maximum decibel level I can tolerate for a short burst of sound is around 107 dB. Anything beyond that seems like it could have a lasting effect on my tinnitus. As you said, there's really no way to avoid loud sounds in everyday life. I'm just hoping my tinnitus will calm down over the next few days or weeks.


It's also good to hear that the bus horn didn't make your tinnitus worse. I can imagine that could have been really stressful.

 

[simon225]

Does anybody here know how accurate decibel meters are on smartphones for short peaks (fireworks, horns, etc)? I use Decibel X on my iPhone 12. What margin should I consider for short sounds?

 

[zeukin]

Does anybody here know how accurate decibel meters are on smartphones for short peaks (fireworks, horns, etc)? I use Decibel X on my iPhone 12. What margin should I consider for short sounds?

I personally wouldn't rely on phones for accurate decibel measurements, since they aren't calibrated for that purpose. From what I've gathered, phones use a limiter, which can skew readings by amplifying quieter sounds and making loud sounds appear louder or inconsistent. You're better off using a professional decibel meter if you want accurate measurements in the future.