Oilers Goal = Plane Taking Off

Now I know the crowd in Edmonton during the Oilers playoff run last year was crazy. And I know I left with my ears ringing and voice hoarse but I didn't know how kickass the noise volume was on a danger-o-meter scale.

Here is the article which is based off of a study published yesterday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal

And here are the highlights:

The study found that the ears of fans, staff and players were subjected to dangerously high noise levels, enough to potentially cause hearing problems.

During the third game of the series, fans reached their maximum daily noise allowance in less than six minutes and they absorbed about 8,100 per cent of the top dose over the course of the game... fans subjected themselves to a noise level equal to a chainsaw buzzing a metre and a half away, while hometown goals prompted a spike in sound equal to a plane taking off.

Even during intermissions, the noise was so loud that normal employees in other workplaces would be required to use hearing protection, the study's authors said.

the study's co-author, Richard Liu, a medical doctor who studies hearing, acted as a guinea pig. He and his wife were tested before and after the games.Hodgetts said they came out of the experience with mild ringing in their ears and temporary hearing loss of up to 20 decibels.

Ok I guess I'll go to the game for the sake of research...

Best way to lose hearing. Ever.