Summertime and the living is noisy. It is a time for mowing lawns, riding motorcycles, going to rock concerts, and setting off firecrackers. Any of which are capable of causing tinnitus and hearing loss.

According to Andrew Cheng, M.D., an ENT and clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at New York Medical College, “Noise is probably the most common occupational hazard facing people today, however, outside of work many people participate in recreational activities that can produce harmful noise that can result in tinnitus with repeated exposure.”

Decibels are the unit of measure for noise, rating on a scale from zero to 140; the higher the number of decibels, the louder the noise. “Tinnitus or hearing loss occurs with regular exposure at 110 decibels or more for periods longer than one minute.

Some typical summer sounds and their decibel levels are: mowing the lawn (80-90 decibels); riding motorcycles (110); rock concerts (120); exploding firecrackers (150); watching fireworks (130 to 190).

Protect your hearing by avoiding excessively loud noises when possible — but when exposure to loud noises or activities cannot be avoided you can take a few simple precautions:

• Alternate noisy activities with periods of quiet.
• Use earplugs or other hearing protectors when you know you are going to be exposed to loud noises for long periods of time (like while mowing the lawn or watching your town’s July 4th fireworks display).
• Limit lengthy periods of loud noise exposure, which includes giving your ears a break from iPods and other devices.
• Be a smart consumer: when buying outdoor equipment for the yard, for instance, look for those with the lowest noise levels.