Going to see the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series? Bring ear plugs.
Phillies fans might not be loud enough to register as an earthquake but they can damage your hearing.
The fans at Citizen Bank Park were so loud on Game 3 of the World Series that people believed a viral social media post claiming it registered as an earthquake 20 miles away.
The post was fake, but that doesn’t mean Phillies fans weren’t loud enough to register on each others inner ear.
» READ MORE: No, the Phillies crowd was not loud enough to register on a Penn State earthquake detector
Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by short, extremely loud sounds, such as a gunshot at close range, or prolonged exposure to noise, such as the roar of 46,000 Phillies fans.
While there wasn’t much to make noise about during Wednesday’s no-hitter Game 4, Phillies fans are hoping for a roaring return in Game 5 tonight. If you are going to cheer them on bring ear plugs to protect your hearing.
Noise can become dangerous for adults when it reaches 80 decibels (about as loud as a garbage disposal) if exposed for several hours. The threshold for children is slightly lower — 75 decibels, said Marquitta Merkison, an audiologist with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Noise at sports stadiums can exceed 100 decibels, a level that can cause hearing damage after just a few hours of exposure. Citizen Bank Park got so loud during post season games that it triggered phones to send high noise alerts to attendees and forced the players to double the volume in their earpiece so that they can hear the coaches.
Merkison says that exposure to decibel levels on par with a World Series game can cause irreversible hearing loss in just a few hours.
“If you lose your hearing, it doesn’t come back,” she said.
If you notice that you need to shout to talk with someone or have ringing in your ears, those are signs that it is too loud and your ears need protection.
People who have hearing loss should be especially careful to protect their ears and find a quiet spot to take a break if they get uncomfortable, she said
“It’s super easy,” Merkison said. “Pick up some ear plugs.”
The foam earplugs available in local pharmacies offer good protection for most people, Merikson said.
Earbuds aren’t a replacement for ear plugs, but will reduce noise if worn while turned off, said Lindsay Creed, who is also an audiologist with ASHA.
“They are better than nothing,” she said.