Protect Your Ears This Summer

SEATTLE - Yes, it's that time of year again, when the air is filled with the sound of lawn equipment. All that noise--from blowers, mowers and trimmers-- is more than annoying, it can hurt your ears.

According to testing done for the June issue of Consumer Reports magazine the sound produced by lawn equipment ranges from 85 to 105 decibels. And how loud is that? "It's as loud as a very loud radio or hi-fi system," says the magazine's Peter Sawchuck. "It's just short of what a jet plane comes up with."

The noise from most power lawn equipment is loud enough, Sawchuck says, to worry about." Anything above 85 decibels will have an impact your hearing.

During the day you accumulate a lot of sound and even a short period of time with a piece of outdoor power equipment at these sound levels can add to damage to your ears."

That's why Consumer Reports recommends that you wear ear protection whenever you use most power lawn tools.