Loud toys cause more than headaches
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
The consumer product safey commission is in charge of making sure toys are safe, but there is one thing it does not test.. loudness.
And hearing specialist say some of those toys can cause permanent damage.
Dr. Tammy Dunn from A plus hearing in Little Rock says, "If its just an impulse sound done once or twice, no you`re not going to have hearing loss. If you`re exposed for days and weeks after Christmas, you open a toy and play with it all the time then yea there may be some loss."
KARK used a sound level meter to test some of the loudest toys on the shelves.
Experts say sounds between 90 and a 100 decibels for over an hour can cause hearing loss. Over a 100 decibels can cause loss if exposed for over 15 minutes.
The Home Depot toy chainsaw reached a level of 105.. just 5 below that of a real chainsaw.
A toy truck reached a level over 95.
Children under 18 months are not to be exposed to levels of 75 decibels, but we found toys designed for 6 months old that reached 95.
You can purchase sound level meters at store like Radio Shack for around 20 dollars.
